


the ice behind their eyes

by quiescentcas



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: (but wtf is canon anymore anyways?), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Ass-Kicking, Canon-Typical Involuntary Amputation, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fix-It, Gen, Happy Ending, Kylo Ren had to get it from /some/where, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Retcon, Supernatural drive times, catharsis motherfuckers (mostly mine), righteous fury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-05-14 23:15:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 41,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14779142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quiescentcas/pseuds/quiescentcas
Summary: Independence. Individuality. Sidious had allowed the Jedi and the Kaminoans to add a little of each into their clones, not thinking much of it. At least, not until they set into motion events that could lead to his downfall. But he still has moves to make that would lead him to domination over the galaxy.And no matter how powerful they are, his leading opposition, the Jedi, still have many problems of their own - problems coming for them in the form of a divided Republic, a half uncontrollable clone army, and their prophesied Chosen One unsure of his path.Will Anakin put his emotions aside to save the galaxy from evil? Can Obi-Wan and Padmé help him toe the line of the light side? Will the Jedi recover from the deep betrayal of Palpatine? And, most importantly, what is truly considered as an action of the dark side, how far can one go before they fall, and can those who have ever be redeemed?





	1. Prologue & Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted this to take place immediately after Fives’s arc, but I realized pretty quickly how much I needed at least some of the Syfo-Dias arc. So! This still takes place soon after Fives’s arc, meaning that the Clovis arc and Jar Jar & Mace’s adventure are Not canon in this fic, BUT in the very beginning of the story, Anakin and Obi-Wan go off and at least complete the first episode of the Syfo-Dias arc. Make sense?  
> I’ve tagged minor character death, so feel I should clarify that my fab five (ani, obi, ahsoka, padme, rex) are all safe. Everyone else? I could be coming for them with knife in hand. It ain’t Star Wars without PAIN, amiright :P

_ Though Anakin was the one currently taking the trial to become a Jedi Knight, the pressure on Obi-Wan to succeed felt almost equal. All of his training, all of his lessons, decisions, advice, care, all of his _ worth  _ was there in Anakin’s hands, facing the trials with him. Divided, Obi-Wan felt sure that Anakin would not fail, just as he was sure that if he  _ did _ it could only be the fault of the master, not the apprentice. _

_ Regardless, there was no more he could do now. In meditation, Obi-Wan could sense that only the two of them were out here on the desolate half of a Force-strong planet. He stood with his eyes closed and his feet wide apart, ignoring the clumps of rough, alpine grass that were making them ache. Though the sun had hung in front of him when Anakin left, it was now heating the back left lobe of his head, and Obi-Wan had not moved from his position. _

_ At least, it appeared that way to Anakin as he clambered over the last of the rocky peaks that’d set the scene of his trials. Exhilarated, tired, but above all triumphant, he strode towards his old master. He wondered when Obi-Wan would notice him, through the Force or otherwise, but Obi-Wan seemed distant and unreachable within his meditation. A light breeze came from behind Anakin, ruffling both their robes and touselling the red-gold hair that fell to Obi-Wan’s shoulders. Rays of light beat down upon him, radiating off of Obi-Wan’s hair so brightly that his head shone against the sky like a second sun. In his pale Jedi robes, he look practically coated head to toe in gold chrome, and for the first time, Anakin found himself comparing his beauty to Padmé’s. _

_ Even the flash of cool blue as Obi-Wan’s eyes opened felt warm. His eyes locked on Anakin’s with an intensity that would stagger an ordinary man, but they were alight with a fierce pride that made Anakin’s heart fill so full of emotion he could barely breath. There’d always been some power imbalance in their relationship; it was constantly plagued by attempts at besting, controlling, or proving - on both sides - but in this moment, for the first time and with no exceptions or reluctance, Anakin found himself  _ seeing  _ Obi-Wan as a true equal and _ knowing  _ that the eyes in front of him saw the same thing. It was intoxicating. _

_ They now stood face to face, only inches apart, gazes still locked. Anakin barely heard the hum of Obi-Wan’s lightsaber, barely felt it brush within millimeters of his ear, barely saw it make an elegant spin and flash behind his head, severing his last ties to the status of Padawan. Without breaking eye contact, Obi-Wan flicked his lightsaber off and stowed it at his belt - a dangerous weapon to wield in such a way, but there had only been absolute trust.  _

_ Anakin felt his face flush. He knew the desire that he felt in this moment would be discouraged by the Jedi, almost as assuredly as he knew that Obi-Wan was feeling the same way. Even as close as they were, the space between the two of them began to narrow, Anakin feeling his head pulled down by the gravity of Obi-Wan’s presence, and Obi-Wan pulled up by Anakin’s strength in the Force, its magnetism. _

_ But as if he’d regained a sliver of the control he’d nearly lost, Obi-Wan lifted his hand up to Anakin’s chest, stopping him. Though it was like stopping a wildfire - blocking its path would only turn its course elsewhere, and sparks would always threaten to jump past the barrier no matter what. Impatiently, Anakin waited on the knife’s edge between wanting to take what he needed and wanting to curl up in shame at the rejection. _

_ Obi-Wan’s voice was low and hoarse with hours of disuse. “I’ll indulge you this once, but no more,” he conceded, much to Anakin’s surprise. _

_ His heart felt like it was straining against his ribs. “Then I’d better make it good,” Anakin replied. He barely needed to move to press his lips against Obi-Wan’s. _

_ It was not, on most counts, good. For all of Obi-Wan’s extra years and his well practiced flirting, he lacked any recent experience, having instead been rewarded for his devotion to the Jedi with a life consumed by war and little time for anything pleasant. He responded with an attentive caution that was completely mismatched to his partner. Because for what little experience Anakin had with Padmé, it seemed to have been forgotten, overwhelmed by his eager but uncertain, desperate and zealous emotions that he couldn’t help but give in to their control over him. And yet, there was an unnamed, tangible quality that kept both of them unwilling to relinquish the touch of the other. _

_ At last, Anakin pulled away, though his nose still brushed Obi-Wan’s cheek when the realization of finality hit him with a shuddering breath, and he quickly leant back in, stealing the second kiss that had been promised to never happen. This time it was more calculated on Anakin’s part and almost vulnerable on Obi-Wan’s, resulting in something so sweet it damn near made Obi-Wan wish that his life had given this to him in some other scenario - one where he could act further without fear of guilt or good conscience. He was far too thankful that the second kiss ended quickly, and the mischievous twinkle in Anakin’s eyes brought him at least halfway back down to reality. _

_ “You’re never satisfied with what you’re given, are you?” Obi-Wan said. _

_ Anakin shrugged. “You know me. I always want more when I know it’s there to be taken.” _

_ Obi-Wan hesitated for a moment, observing him. “Yes, I do know. I  _ also _ know that you can’t tell when there’s nothing more for you to have.” _

_ Anakin gave a wicked smirk then brushed past, and as Obi-Wan walked side-by-side with him back to their ship, he knew that ‘no more’ had been the first and greatest  _ complete lie _ he  _ had _ ever and  _ would _ ever tell as a Jedi. _

 

CHAPTER ONE

“But sir, Tup was missing for five rotations and no one else was with him,” Kix repeated.

Rex’s face hardened. It wasn’t that they were rehashing this conversation for the umpteenth time, it was that Kix had a point. He had many points, actually, and all of them good ones. But all of them were inactionable, especially against the word of the Jedi; the word of the Supreme Chancellor.

“I’m not the only one concerned about this,” continued Kix. “Everyone in our company, everyone who knew Tup has questions. We can’t give up on this. Fives didn’t.”

“And look where it got him,” Rex snapped quietly. No matter how much he tried to ignore it, losing one of his men always hurt. It sometimes kept him up at night, making him wonder if there was something wrong with him too.

“I know! I saw him before… He didn’t seem sick, not exactly, and he wasn’t out of control like Tup was. They never shared anything that would’ve passed on this ‘parasite’, and if they had, then we’d all have it,” said Kix. “Please, sir, if you could just ask the general to look into it, or someone.” 

Rex frowned. He had talked to General Skywalker already, and he didn’t like to bother him with the same thing twice when everyone else seemed happy with the explanation. But Kix’s face had a look on it that he’d seen reflected on many of his men after they learned what happened. They trusted him, and he couldn’t lose that. 

“I’ll do what I can, Kix,” said Rex.

“Yes, sir,” said Kix, though surprisingly he seemed unsatiated. “Thank you.”

~~~

He caught up with General Skywalker on his way to leave for Felucia to find information about Master Sifo-Dyas: some long dead Jedi he was investigating with General Kenobi and Commander Cody.

“Rex, you know I’ve told you and your men to get some rest after Ringo Vinda. I’ll be with Obi-Wan and the 212th.”

Rex nodded and fell into step with General Skywalker. The ‘I don’t need you’ was unsaid, of course, but Rex couldn’t help wishing that he was going on this mission with them. It wasn’t as if he was getting any of the proposed rest anyway. Instead, he had been trying to track down the tumor that had caused one of his men to kill a Jedi. It was supposed to be with the Medical Facility on Coruscant, but the records of what had happened to it after that were sketchy or sealed, and it didn’t seem to be there anymore. If he’d been suspicious before, it was nothing compared to how he felt now.

“I know, sir,” he said reluctantly. “That’s not why I came.”

“No?”

“Sir, I know the problem on Ringo Vinda was… resolved, but many in the 501st feel that there’s no way a parasite could do that without affecting any of them.”

A smile touched Skywalker’s lips. “It seems like your men have all become too quick to question information and authority.”

“With all due respect, sir, they take their cues from their leader,” Rex said pointedly.

“Which you are, just as much as me.”

“Well, I did some digging and I found nothing.”

General Skywalker raised an eyebrow. “Nothing being something?”

“I mean, Fives’ and Tup’s chips have vanished, and all traces of them, all medical record of what happen has been deleted. It’s like someone’s trying to cover up the chip’s failure.”

Skywalker frowned, but his voice was reassuring. “Alright, Rex, I’ll look into it when Obi-Wan and I come back. I’ll talk to the Chancellor.”

That was one of the things that Rex did  _ not _ want to hear. Fives’ attack on Chancellor Palpatine was one of the many threads of uncertainty in this weave. He could trust no one about this but himself, his men, and General Skywalker. “Sir, with your permission, I want to remove my own chip and have it examined.”

Skywalker stopped suddenly and held his hand out in front of Rex. They faced each other warily in the tight hallway. “No, Rex, I can’t let you do that. I can’t lose my second in command over a hunch. What if it was the lack of inhibitor chip that made Fives uncontrollable? I can’t lose you too.”

Rex gritted his teeth. It was an answer he’d expected, but he still found himself frustrated by it. “Sir, I just… I have a bad feeling about all of this.”

“I know. We’ll talk about this when I get back.” Skywalker sighed, then clapped Rex’s shoulder. “We’ll find some answers, ok, just not like that.”

“Yes, sir.”

~~~

“So, what did he say?” Kix confronted Rex almost before the door finished opening.

“He had to leave for a mission with General Kenobi, but he told me he’ll look into it when he gets back. He’ll even take it up with the Supreme Chancellor,” Rex added reluctantly.

“And what about the other thing?” Kix asked. Rex had already told him what he’d found out about the missing chips.

“No.”

“No? Well what were his exact words?

“That I’m not to put my life at risk,” Rex said. “He’s right; I’m his Captain. What if we’re wrong and I end up like Fives?”

“Then I’ll do it!” snapped Kix. “I lost two friends to this, and it’s just being ignored. What if it happens again?”

“Easy, soldier. I have my orders. When General Skywalker gets back, we’ll try to resolve this.”

“Your orders are not to take your own chip out. The General said nothing about me,” Kix pointed out.

“Kix… I can’t let you do this.”

“Give the command, then. You know how I feel about the men’s health, but give the command to stop me, if you really believe this isn’t important, and I’ll follow it.”

Rex watched Kix, weighing so many pros and cons. He was supposed to be able to see any of his men die in battle, all of them even, and watch them get replaced by the next drop ship. Regardless, Rex remembered the name of every clone who served with him. Dying in battle was one thing, but being driven mad, being corrupted from the inside out until you killed your commanding officer was something entirely different.

“I’m doing this right now, then,” Kix spoke through Rex’s silence.

~~~ 

“How do you feel?” Blues asked, his hand steady on Kix’s shoulder. Like Kix, Blues was another medic for the 501st, and they got into the medbay with no questions asked. Finding what they needed was easy enough, though Blues had temporarily balked after Kix told him what was going on.

“About the same,” Kix said, swinging his legs off the bed. He swayed when he got to his feet, and Blues gripped harder. “A little dizzy, though.”

“Let’s get out of here before anyone comes in. We can get you back to your dorm where you can rest.”

Kix looked around the dark room. “Got- Got the chip?”

“Right here.” Blues had already prepared it to be analyzed. He showed it to Kix, then tucked it into a pouch behind his armor. “Really, Kix, they’ll have both of our heads for this.”

“No, it’s my responsibility. I’ll take any blame.”

“Yeah, if you survive,” Blues muttered. He let go of Kix to look less suspicious, but they stayed shoulder to shoulder incase he needed any immediate support.

Blues stuck his head out of the door and waited until the hall was empty before leading them both out. Most of the troopers they met on the way back were of a different legion, so other than a few greetings which Kix managed without too much effort, they made it straight back to the 501st dorm. A couple troopers were hanging out there, including Rex. Kix had asked him to stay away while his surgery happened, plausible deniability and all, so this time it was he who confronted them before the door had finished opening.

“Kix, you alright?”

“Peachy,” Kix muttered.

Rex looked up at Blues. “Is there something wrong with him?”

“You mean other than dodging the general’s orders to remove a part of his brain?” Blues said dryly, then relented at Rex’s raised eyebrow. “So far he’s fine.”

“Get him to his bunk,” Rex said quietly. “We’ll take turns watching him until… whatever happens, happens.”

“I’m right here guys,” said Kix. “I can make it to my own bed.”

He did. Barely. But if any of the other clones looked up at him, all they saw was a soldier who’d probably drank too much over at 79’s and had maybe tripped and hit his head. Rex turned back to Blues.

“Do you have it?”

“Yeah,” said Blues, retrieving the chip and palming it off to Rex. “Whatcha gonna do with it?”

“Get it tested. Get answers,” said Rex, his jaw setting in determination.

Blues jerked a thumb at Kix. “I’ll take the first shift.”

“Thanks, brother.”

~~~

“You told me to come straight to you if I found anything,” said Tripwire.

He had cornered Rex a few rotations after receiving the biochip and strict instructions to keep this off-book and extremely quiet. Rex had chosen Tripwire half because he worked in the tech sector, so he had the knowledge to read the programming on this chip, and half because they’d been friends on Kamino, and Rex already felt like he trusted him.

Rex drew him aside into the nearest empty room. The past few days he’d spent monitoring Kix and wondering if this had been a completely crazy idea. His programming made him more resistant to sleep deprivation, but at this point even he was pushing it. Fortunately, Kix had made a full recovery after one night’s sleep, and nothing else had happened. Until now.

“Tell me,” Rex commanded.

“On the outside, this is just an inhibitor chip, but I dug a little further and found some weird program that seems to be able to send signals to our cerebellum, like a message.”

“What kind of message?”

“Well, I hooked the chip up to a spare comm device and… you gotta hear for yourself.”

Tripwire lifted up his hand to show the small blocky computer in his hand. He tapped a few buttons, and suddenly a robotic voice croaked from the device.

_ Kill the Jedi. Good soldiers follow orders. Kill the Jedi. Good soldiers follow orders. Kill the Jedi. Good soldiers follow orders. Kill the Jedi. Good soldiers follow orders. Kill the Jedi. Good soldiers follow orders. Kill the Jedi. Good soldiers follow orders. Kill the Jed _ -

“Turn it off,” Rex snapped. He felt sick to his stomach, even after Tripwire ended the voice.

“Rex, what does this all mean? What the hell have you gotten into?”

“I- I’m sure you’ve heard the stories… About one of my men killing a Jedi in the middle of combat.”

“Yeah, I heard something… Kriffing hell, I didn’t know that’d been one of yours.”

“Tup. He… We took him in after, and- Trip, he wouldn’t stop saying those exact words. When we took him back to Kamino, one of my other men went with him. They’re both dead. Fives was the one that told me about these chips, and he was convinced they were part of a plot.” Rex looked back up at Tripwire whose eyes had gone as wide as portholes. “I think… I think he found something; something somebody didn’t want found.”

“We have to do something!” Tripwire immediately burst out. “I don’t want this in my head.”

“Me either. I can’t imagine anything worse than losing control and killing my general.” Rex shook his head, trying to get that thought out of his mind. “Can you make a copy of this? Maybe two?”

Tripwire nodded. “Sure. You think someone might try to steal it or something?”

“I think we’re fine, for now. Only four of us know about what’s going on, so I don’t think anyone would suspect what we’re up to. But if this gets out to anyone,  _ anyone  _ before the right time we will be hunted down.”

“Not a word from me, Captain.”

“Good. Get those copies then bring me the original biochip, keep a recording for yourself, and give the other to one of my men, Blues. He’ll be in our dorms.”

“Who are you going to tell?”

“When General Skywalker and General Kenobi return, I’ll bring this straight to the Jedi Council.”

~~~

It took another couple rotations for that to happen. Rex spent a lot of time with Kix, though he hardly needed to; Kix had gone back to normal. Well, almost normal... he had gotten a little rougher than usual with a clone from another company who’d been mouthing off about medics not being as good of fighters as actual soldiers. But Rex wasn’t too worried - chipped-Kix would’ve punched the man anyway, and if unchipped-Kix broke his arm instead, what was the difference really? The shiny deserved it and would definitely change his mind after a few battles.

When he wasn’t watching Kix, Rex was pacing. He wandered the halls of the GAR barracks, sometimes talking to his men, hearing any grievance from them, and sometimes talking to soldiers from other companies, learning about what else was going on in this war. Everyone had stories to tell, good, bad, and ugly.

He didn’t hear of General Skywalker’s return until after the Jedi had held him in council for more than two hours. When they finally met in a hangar, empty but for one of Skywalker’s project ships, the general had a dark look on his face. It only got darker when he saw Rex.

“General?” Usually Rex would ask him how the mission went without him, but not today. Not with the general looking like that, and definitely not with the news he had to tell him.

“Look, Rex, I’m not brushing you off, but I just got back…”

“I know, sir, but I have something to tell you.” Rex cleared his throat and steeled himself. There was no easy way to put this, but he’d already gone through the list of consequences and had come to the conclusion that it was all worth it. Still, thinking about things was a whole different game to actually doing them. “Sir, one of my men removed his chip.” There, he’d said it. “He didn’t think we could wait for more of them to go bad.”

Skywalker scowled. “Rex, I told you no!”

“You told  _ me _ no, but not him!” Rex pointed out.

“Who? Is he even still alive?”

“It was Kix, sir, but he’s fine!”

“He’s…” Clearly, Skywalker had expected the worst. His expression flickered through emotions Rex didn’t have time to read. “What?”

“Fine! He’s fine,” said Rex. “Taking out the chip wasn’t what made Fives act that way.”

“So what? What does this prove?”

“I had another clone analyze the chip, sir. He found…” Unable to explain, Rex lifted up the comm box containing the chip and hit the playback button.

Once again, that awful robotic voice filled the air, rebounding off the open hangar walls. Rex suppressed a shiver and watched as his general’s face went from one of anger to one of horror, and he shut down the box after only three cycles.

It took a moment for General Skywalker to find his voice again. “I guess I’ve got to go back to the Council before my week of avoiding them is done.”

He held out his hand, and Rex, without question, gave him the box. Skywalker then tapped the comm link on his arm. A mini, weary looking Kenobi jumped up in front of them, sitting cross-legged somewhere in the Temple.

“Obi-Wan, get back to the council room.”

Blinking, as if entirely certain that this was some plot to mess with him, Kenobi finally asked, “You’re joking, right?”

Skywalker grimaced. “I wish I was.”

“I’ll be there, but  _ you’re _ going to find us food tonight.”

“Sure, if we get out of there before morning.”

General Skywalker turned off the comm and turned to Rex. “Get Kix. Meet me up in the Council Room.”

“Right away, sir.” 

He took a deep breath after they had parted ways. This whole ordeal was nearly over, though Rex knew that the worst was yet to come.

~~~

“You let one of your men remove his chip?” Master Windu’s accusing voice rose above the mutterings of the other Jedi that sprung up after Rex finished his story. He, Kix, and General Skywalker stood in front of the Jedi Council. Only those physically present were in the room with them, which meant just Masters Windu, Fisto, Kenobi, Tiin, and Yoda.

“Sir,” Kix cut in. “It was my idea. Captain Rex told me not to, but I went behind him.”

Rex cringed. Saying one of his men betrayed him was almost worse than saying he’d given the order. “Kix…”

Kix turned to him. “I take responsibility for my actions,” he said quietly.

“Enough,” Master Windu said.

Whatever he was going to say, Master Yoda interrupted. “Matter, it does not. An answer to Dooku’s involvement in the creation of the clones, I did not so quickly expect to find. More troubling than even I expected, this is.” 

Rex frowned. What did Count Dooku have to do with his existence?

“We must end this war,” said Master Tiin.

“It will be difficult,” said Kenobi. “I fear we can no longer trust our own men.”

Rex nodded. He wasn’t even sure if he could trust himself.

“Fear, you must not, Obi-Wan. Served us well, these soldiers have, and know nothing of  _ our _ knowledge, the enemy does.”

“We should start removing all the clones’ chips before Dooku does find out,” said Master Fisto.

“Skywalker,” Master Windu said, “I think it’s time you and Master Kenobi put into action the plan to take Dooku from his base on Serenno.” 

General Skywalker hesitated, and Rex knew exactly why. “Master Windu, that plan’s a long shot, even for us.”

“At this point it’s a necessary risk. And it’s not as if you haven’t pulled off plans with worse odds. You and Kenobi will leave two days from now,” he ordered.

“Can Dooku not wait until we’ve dealt with this chip business?” asked General Kenobi.

“No,” replied Master Windu. “We need to end this war, now. One man is easier to deal with than one million.”

Others of the Council nodded, and Rex noticed that Kenobi and Skywalker’s eyes had locked, and despite his outburst, Kenobi lifted a hand to brush his beard, a wry smile curling underneath it.

“We should alert the other Jedi in the field,” said Master Tiin. “If the enemy finds out what we know, they’ll be in grave danger.”

“But we’ll have to be careful not to create a mass panic,” said Master Fisto. “We should have the chips dealt with company by company, discretely, rather than ordering all of them to get to a medical facility at once. 

Skywalker cut in quickly. “Masters, if Obi-Wan and I have to leave to find Dooku, our men should be the first to have their chips removed.” General Kenobi nodded.

“Should we not get the approval of the Supreme Chancellor before we start making plans?” asked Master Tiin.

Rex forced his hands to stay still by his sides. Even mention of the Chancellor made them want to curl into fists. He was the one that had put Fives on the run, which almost made it his fault that Fives had died. Rex could see no other way.

“Council, if I may,” he said, and when no one stopped him, he continued, “One of my men who was involved in all of this was convinced that the Chancellor had something to do with all this.” Rex hesitated; he knew how implementing the leader of the Republic in a plot to kill the Republic’s guardians sounded. “I don’t have any hard evidence… but I must suggest that we  _ not _ inform him of anything yet.”

Suspicious looks went around the council room and murmurs of unease.

“Agree, I do,” Master Yoda said, surprising Rex. “Cautious we must be if we are to keep the Jedi safe. Tell anyone outside the Council, we should not.”

“But Master Yoda,” General Skywalker interjected, “the Clone Army is a part of the Republic. What authority do we have to tell the soldiers to alter themselves behind the Senate’s back?”

“Concerned about authority now are you, Skywalker?” Yoda mused. Skywalker scowled.

“Our duty is to keep the Republic safe, including our people,” said Master Windu. “I also agree with Captain Rex. There is too much at stake and too much that now clouds this entire war. We know what we need to do. Council dismissed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to my beta [liznight](http://liznight.tumblr.com/)! (side note: I wrote the prologue after most of the rest so she hasn't had a chance to look it over yet - any mistakes are mine.)  
> I have a good five chapters written and I hope to post once or twice a week depending on how fast I can keep writing. I honestly don't know how long this is going to be. Considering I have 26k as of right now, probably over 50k. Hopefully less than 100k. Also I feel I should forwarn you guys that I haven’t decided if/how far I’m going with Ahsoka/Barriss. I'll keep the tags updated.  
> Comments and kudos always appreciated! And come talk to me on tumblr: [quiescentcastiel](http://quiescentcastiel.tumblr.com/)


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin enlists some special help.

He’d hoped his head would feel clearer, lighter, or more his own after being the first one of his legion to have his chip removed  _ with _ permission, but truth be told, Rex felt the same. Dizzy, of course, but he put on an unaffected face for his men.

He’d asked Kix and Blues to keep their involvement in this quiet, which they had readily agreed to. The men trusted him, he felt sure enough of that, but word getting around about how a clone disobeying orders had helped save the Republic was at best dangerous and at worst deadly. The war needed a much greater supply of soldiers who followed his and General Skywalker’s orders than soldiers who decided to be heros. But even without the influence of Skywalker, Rex had come to understand that those above him couldn’t always know what was best and that in those cases it was his duty to do what was best for the Republic, no matter what. Memories of Umbara would never let him forget that.

The Jedi kept a close eye on the men, and without question Rex did too. He wished they could find a way to deactivate the chip rather than remove it, but there wasn’t enough time to look for one and corrupting the chip like that had too many bad possibilities. Warnings were sent out to Jedi in the field, but not all could be reached and even among those that could, not all had access to the right medical equipment. Rex could easily understand the frustration the Jedi must be feeling being surrounded by thousands of men that could suddenly want to kill you, and either not being able risk losing ground to prevent it or even not possessing any way to do so.

He remained by General Skywalker’s side, though they were both within the 501st Barracks for safety and security, as they tried to go through the list of Jedi in the field that the Council had given him to send the message to.

Skywalker was crossing names of the list. “Alright, that’s everyone on here except Master Plo.”

Rex grimaced. That everyone else on the list was informed was a start, but only Master Plo had enough access to the medical facilities to do anything. The other handful of Jedi could only ask questions and receive, through an increasingly perturbed Skywalker, the message from the Council that told them to ‘stay alert’ but ‘continue their missions as if nothing had changed.’ ‘Trust the Force’ the Council said. Even with his experience being around the Jedi, Rex was surprised at how quickly they took to that line.

“We should try him again. Cato Neimoidia’s only out in the colonies; there’s no reason for our signal not to get through.”

“Unless it’s being jammed.”

Rex tapped on the holo again, punching in the code to reach Master Plo again. They waited a minute, then another, but got no answer until-

A loud scratching noise nearly made Rex jump out of his chair. Blue lines flickered above the device, forming a shape that could potentially be the Kel Dorian, but they vanished with a loud snap before Rex could be sure. 

“This is no good!” Skywalker groaned.

Rex turned the holo off. “Can’t we send someone out there with a message?”

“None of our ships would pass through the blockade.” The general scrubbed his hand through his hair, then suddenly stopped. A burst of hope appeared on his face before disappearing into a grimace. “But there may be someone else.”

~~~

Cody didn’t think much about an end to the war. He didn’t think much about what he was going to do after - whether the Republic would free him, or whether they’d keep their millions of men to patrol the galaxy, or even whether they’d return them to the Kaminoans to be sold out to another warmonger. It didn’t bother him in the end, as he knew he was born to be sent out to die. No matter how proud he felt for being a commander he’d always known that. He’d known his small place in a much larger conflict. It was something he could guarantee would never change. But that was before now. 

He was sitting in one of the rare places within the 212th Barracks that he could find a moment of peace when General Kenobi came for him. The men always knew to find him there, but as tucked away as it was, he didn’t think the Jedi did. As he stood and faced Kenobi, Cody wondered if he’d used the Force somehow.

“General,” Cody acknowledged. He felt bare under Kenobi’s intense and appraising gaze.

“I assume Rex told you about his trooper, Fives, and the chips.”

“Yes, sir.” Cody knew he could never say that he and Rex were as close as Kenobi and Skywalker, but they shared a mutual respect and camaraderie that was one of a kind among the different clone units.

“After… _ further investigation _ ,” Kenobi emphasized in a way that made Cody sure it was not something so formal, “we’ve found that the chips have a protocol on them that would overwrite its owner’s actions and force them to kill any Jedi within reach.” By the end of his statement, General Kenobi’s voice was stone cold.

“Sir?” Cody could hear the horror in his own voice. “All the clones have this?”

“Yes. It’s removable, which is what I’m here to ask you for.”

Cody frowned. “ _ Ask _ me for?” Surely it should’ve been an order.

“Only the Jedi Council know of this, and we haven’t received the Chancellor or the Senate’s approval.” Kenobi looked frustrated and almost unsure. Cody knew how rare that was.

“You think one of them might want the Jedi dead,” he stated.

“Yes.” General Kenobi’s voice was clipped. “This means that you can, of course, say no, as many other clones like those too far afield, or assigned to the Chancellor’s guard - for now, they will not have their chips removed. However, you and any of your men who decline the change will be reassigned away from me and any other Jedi until the Republic officially orders the chip’s removal.” Kenobi watched him for a moment with a slight frown, and when he continued his voice was softer, less commanding. “I would rather it not come to that, Cody; it would be hard for me to lose a commander as skilled as yourself.”

“I’m sure you’d find it easy to replace me, sir.”

“No. I wouldn’t.” General Kenobi frowned. “Do you not understand how much I trust you? To have my back, to follow mine or Anakin’s ridiculous plans, to make strategic decisions without me, to keep your men in line, to work with other companies - I trust you on the battlefield and off it. It would be near impossible for me to replace that.”

Cody struggled with an answer to that. The best he could say was “It’s my duty, sir,” but his mouth fumbled over even those few words, exposing the wave of emotions he was feeling.

In his familiar, subconscious way, Kenobi reached up to run his fingers through his beard. “I suppose this is the final test, then,” he said. “Do I have your true allegiance, or has it always been with the Senate and the Chancellor?”

He knew what the right answer _ should _ be. But it was not the one he gave. Not exactly, anyway. “I serve the Republic, General Kenobi. I’ve  _ always _ believed you have its best interests at heart,” said Cody. “And I know you always will. I’ll do it.”

Kenobi smiled and gave a short nod. “Then I expect you to report to the medbay within the hour. Talk to Captain Rex if you have any questions; he’s already had the procedure, and the last his men should be finishing up soon.”

Even after General Kenobi left, Cody remained standing. He processed the information he’d been given and the choices he’d made. 

Cody still wasn’t thinking about an end to  _ his _ fight in this war; when you’d been doing something your whole life, it was hard to imagine anything else. But somewhere in the very back of his mind he started to imagine that he could help reach an end for the Republic, for the Jedi, for his general. 

~~~

Anakin had told her that he’d be back on Coruscant today, but what good were promises of dependency from a man always on the move? The cold chersilk sheets crinkled under her, and Padmé sighed as she lay on her bed, absentmindedly pulling her hair from its elaborate encasing.

It wasn’t his fault, of course. As a Jedi Knight, Anakin had to go wherever he was told to fight the war the Senate had been discussing all day. And it wasn’t as if she had any say in when and where he went either; it was just that she’d spent so much in the Senate listening to politicians delegate more funds to the war, assign Chancellor Palpatine more power, and undoubtedly assure that the fighting would go on for many more years. All she wanted right now was to be held in her husband’s arms, but judging by the empty room she came back to, that wasn’t going to happen today, as he’d said. 

But there was still time, she thought. A little voice inside her head countered,  _ yeah, time you need to write that report on the aid that Naboo sent to some of the Outer Rim systems _ . Padmé groaned at just the thought. She had no reluctance for the part of politics that made her able to actually help people, but the endless paperwork was, well,  _ endless _ . 

At least a few inventors had attempted to build droids that would do it all for their masters, but all results so far had ended in a variety of failures, most of which came from mistranslation. Padmé had heard stories of one of these droid attempts taking dictation from a king whose language was all about the inflections, and the result of that droid translating to it Aurebesh then filling in the rest of the report itself had been a two year civil war. It made her grateful for C-3PO; his ridiculous nervousness did at least make him very diligent and very cautious. There were other droids of a similar model that were not so careful. Jabba’s was one that immediately came to mind.

Padmé giggled to herself imagining Jabba getting in a fight because his droid had told one of his clients they were ‘worthless scrap metal’ rather than ‘worth more than scrap metal.’ One could only hope something like that would get him killed one day.

“I hope you’re not thinking about spraying perfume into Captain Typho’s hat again,” a soft voice near her said. Padmé gave a start and turned her head to look at the intruder. Rabé, the only one of her handmaidens that had come with her this journey, was standing over Padmé, a large tray of food in her hands. It wasn’t exactly who she wanted to see, but a welcome sight nonetheless.

“No, no nothing like that. Just thinking how many Senators I’ll be happy to outlive.”

“I thought you might be; that’s why I’m here bearing the gift of food! I even brought enough for two.” Rabé wriggled her eyebrows with a knowing grin. Padmé had told her about Anakin saying he’d be here tonight.

“Well, he’s hasn’t come back yet.”

“Good, because I was talking about myself,” Rabé quipped. Padmé rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop her grin. She sat up and crossed her legs, making space for Rabé who carefully put the tray down on the bed before climbing up to join her.

They chatted the rest of Coruscant’s silvery light away, talking both about serious subjects - what the Banking Clan would do to regain their lost capital and how the Republic could deal with them to decrease their interest rate - and trivial ones, like which planet had the best season of  _ Fashion That’s Out of This World! _ (Padmé was forever disappointed that they’d come to Naboo before she was queen. While Rabé’s favorite season was 79, Bardotta, and Padmé’s was 115, Mandalore ( _ A classic, Rabé! _ ), both of them agreed that  _ their _ Naboo would’ve blown everyone else out of the water.)

Long after Rabé had left, Anakin did come back, though not until after half of Coruscant was already asleep. Which, considering the variety of different sleeping patterns that only really aligned once every twenty rotations, was saying something. Padmé was in bed, still, drifting in and out of sleep. She felt Anakin before she heard him - felt the bed shift under his weight and his cold mechanical arm wrap around her - and turned around to face him. Even under the dim light that filtered through the windows, Padmé could see the stress lines in his face. She tried to kiss them away, and though she couldn’t, the attempt did at least make him smile.

“I’m leaving again in a few days,” he whispered. “Obi-Wan and I are finally bringing in Count Dooku.”

Padmé’s breath caught in her throat. “Then… then the war might be over soon?”

“Yes.” He gently brushed a piece of hair out of her face. “Then I can be here with you more often and not out fighting all the time.” 

Padmé smiled at the thought, but she had no delusions about who Anakin was and what he was best at. Anakin smiled back at her again, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. They were tight, as if somehow Dooku wasn’t the worst of his troubles.

“There’s something else isn’t there?” she said.

The smile vanished from Anakin’s face and all that was left were cold eyes. He looked away from her, then sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

“This war, it’s…” he hesitated as if unsure of how to break the news. “Someone’s been planning it from before it started. Someone who wants the Jedi dead.”

Padmé gasped and sat up too. “What? How could that possibly be?”

“Count Dooku was the one who ordered the creation of the clone army.” Anakin’s voice shook, but his back was still to her so she couldn’t see his face. “He had the Kaminoans implant a chip in every single clone that, when they were given the order, would enact a protocol to have them kill all the Jedi.”

There was nothing that could’ve prepared Padmé for that information, and she felt speechless.

However, Anakin continued to speak. “We started removing as many of the chips as we can today and more tomorrow. It’s just hard - sending hundreds of clones to the med bay without attracting a lot of attention.”

“And here I was thinking that the Senate meeting would be boring tomorrow,” Padmé snipped, but there was really no humor in it.

“You won’t hear about it,” Anakin said. He sounded almost bitter, and everytime he uttered the word chip he made a face as if he wanted to wash his own mouth out with soap. Padme knew exactly why. “This is all being kept confidential, he continued. “The Council has given the order that no one should tell even Chancellor Palpatine about the chips being removed.” 

“What?!” Padmé could barely believe it. Not tell the the leader of the Republic that his army was compromised? What reason could the Jedi have? “Don’t they trust him?”

“I don’t know, Padmé,” Anakin said, too quickly and too harshly. He flinched at the hurt look she gave him, then hesitated before clarifying more gently. “I’m sorry. I do know, but it just feels so  _ wrong _ .”

“What?” Padmé asked nervously.

Anakin was silent, but his hands moved, as if he was tinkering with some invisible machine. “They think he might be behind some of this,” he finally admitted.

“But that’s absurd! He’s the leader of the Republic; why would he want to harm those who are fighting for him?”

“The dark side of the Force clouds the Jedi’s vision,” Anakin answered vaguely, sounding unusually like Obi-Wan.

Padmé’s stomach squirmed. “If we can’t trust Palpatine, who can we trust?”

He turned to her smiled. There was almost a sense of innocence behind it that reminded her of the boy she met on Tatooine. But that boy was a slave - innocence already lessened. She pulled him back down to her, and he wrapped her in his arms again.

“Get some sleep,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll probably be gone before you wake.”

She did as he said, curling closer to him, closing her eyes, and wondering if sleep would even come to her this night. Even the warmth of her husband next to her couldn’t stop the chill that his information had given her.

As Padmé lay quietly, she tried to answer her own question: who could she trust? Anakin, of course, Captain Typho and her handmaidens, probably Obi-Wan, at least in the matter of Anakin, and maybe a few of the senators like Bail and Mon Mothma. But the list seemed to end there. She knew it was too short. 

~~~

The weight of her shame couldn’t stop Ahsoka from returning to her home planet, though she didn’t think she’d ever be able to face her family again. Not that it mattered, she didn’t really know them anyways. At first, finding a place to stay was hard; she’d left the Temple as soon as possible, only stopping to collect what little she owned - clothes and books mostly, along with a small toolset Anakin had gotten her on the anniversary of their first assignment together, and, of course, her lightsabers.

Wanting to avoid the cities and avoid any of the Republic outposts in case they recognized her, Ahsoka found herself travelling up to the villages in the more remote alpine grasslands on Shili. There she met an old Togruta woman who took her in, fed her, and gave her a place to stay. The bed was only the straw-filled loft of the barn where the old farmer kept her kratabi - a quadrupedal creature that lived off of the native grass and had markings similar to the Togruta - but after sleeping on the ground or taking half-awake naps on suspicious aircraft for so long, it felt like silk and feathers to Ahsoka.

In return, she helped the woman out around the farm, keeping her lightsabers hidden safely in her bedroll while she did her chores throughout the day, then practicing with them late at night when no one could hear. Half of the free time she had was spent meditating, but the other half was spent talking to the old woman in Togruti and listening to her stories. The language felt unfamiliar to Ahsoka, despite her attempts over the years to stay in touch with who she was. Now more than ever, lacking a home, a family, and a meaning, Ahsoka wanted so badly to feel connected to her people again.

But the life she left behind couldn’t so easily let her go. Despite all her efforts to remain anonymous, a pair of clones still came for her only a few months after her departure from the Temple. She heard their speeders from the loft, and through the Force she could feel that their buzzing sound was making the krabani nervous. Ahsoka knew she couldn’t run, even if she wanted to, so once again she packed up all she had, thanked the old woman for her kindness, and went down to the two soldiers waiting for her.

“Ahsoka Tano?” one of them asked.

She nodded.

“We have orders to escort you back to our base. Someone needs to talk to you.”

She nodded again, wondering who that could possibly be and why anyone would want to talk to her. No,  _ need _ to talk to her. She hopped onto the back of one of the speeders and left that little farm behind.

Too soon she found herself back in a Republic base in one of Shili’s larger cities. The windowless room she was lead into was painted with a blue light from the holo that sat in the center of it. The door snapped shut behind her, leaving Ahsoka alone with the figure that flickered in front of her. With his back to her, he sat cross-legged, fidgeting, and elevated by the holo table but small enough that his head were right at eye level. A pang of longing streaked through her heart as she suddenly recognized his familiar form. 

“Anakin!” she blurted. Anakin’s head snapped up, his holo shape reached out of frame, and in a flash he’d flipped himself around to face her. She blushed at her sudden outburst as the Jedi fixed his gaze on her. Part of her wasn’t sure how to address him now that she wasn’t a part of the Order and wasn’t a part of his life anymore.

Anakin smiled tentatively. “Hey, Snips!”

“What’s happening? Why are you calling me?” She didn’t mean to sound so curt and couldn’t help wincing at the way the smile vanished from her former Master’s face.

Nodding, as if in acceptance of her reaction to his presence, he began to tell her about the clones and the chips and Order 66, and the more he talked, the more Ahsoka could feel her heart drop, and her jaw too.

Silence hung in the air after Anakin finished speaking.

Ahsoka fumbled for an answer. “You’re saying that the war was planned from the start. From before the start.”

“It looks that way.”

“But by who? Count Dooku?”

Anakin sighed. “Yes, but the Council believes that there is another Sith out there. They have no evidence, other than what Dooku told Obi-Wan years ago, but… I just want you to be safe, Snips.” 

“I’ve been keeping my head down and avoiding the Republic bases!” she said.

“And yet here you are, talking to me,” he pointed out.

Ahsoka felt a chill touch her through the Force. “Do you think I’m in any danger?”

“I don’t know,” said Anakin, a note of pleading in his voice, thought what for she didn’t know. “It seems like the protocol has the clones specifically target the Jedi.”

She forced her voice not to waver. “Then it’s unlikely they’d come after me.”

Anakin gritted his teeth and looked away.

“Maybe not,” he said, “but I think that the dark power behind this would not hesitate to kill anyone trained by the Jedi either.”

“The Padawans too?” Ahsoka asked, stunned. “The  _ younglings? _ ” How anyone could contemplate killing children she wasn’t sure.

“There’s a lot we don’t know,” said Anakin, sounding dangerously frustrated. “I want you to stay safe.”

There was silence as he watched her, whether waiting for any more questions or not wanting to leave her she wasn’t sure, then Anakin dropped his eyes from hers with a look of regret. Ahsoka frowned at him as he turned back to her.

“Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?” she asked.

“No, I have another…” Anakin paused, and his jaw clenched. “A  _ favor _ to ask of you.”

Ahsoka felt the puzzlement show on her face.

“It’s just a favor, Snips,” he assured her. “You’re totally free to walk away right now. It’s just that I’ve been trying to get in contact with the Jedi out in the field to warn them, but we can’t reach Master Plo. He’s out on Cato Neimoidia, so it’s likely that the Separatists are jamming his comms,” Anakin explained. “The Council hasn’t allowed us to send any Jedi out there, but I thought you could go. Maybe if you find a trade ship or sneak in on your own or something...”

“You want me to tell him what you told me,” she summarized.

“Yeah,” said Anakin. “There should be a med bay down there they can use to remove the chips.”

Ahsoka frowned. “You mean you’re not recalling the army to have it done on Coruscant?”

“No,” he said, with a disappointed shake of his head. “We can’t afford to lose ground in this war, no matter the circumstances. There are many Jedi who will continue to fight with chipped clones, and there’s little we can do about it. We need to focus on the things we  _ can _ change right now.” The words seemed forced and harsh as they left his mouth, as if he was fighting them.

Ahsoka shook her head in disbelief, and the lack of Padawan beads tapping her head tails, a gentle touch that she’d been nearly successful in forgetting, suddenly felt distinct again. “You’re only telling me this because you’re desperate.”

“You don’t have to, Ahsoka. This isn’t your fight anymore,” said Anakin, “and I don’t want to drag you into anything. But it would be a great help.”

Ahsoka nodded. Anakin was wrong; this was her fight still. She’d never forgive herself if she abandoned her friends when she believed that there was still some way for her to help them. Master Plo needed her help.

“I’ll go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a slow-ass writer so it looks like I'll stick to updating every Monday. As always, I love all your comments and kudos, and I'd also love it if any of you came and yelled at me on tumblr to stop making stupid memes and keep writing!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin walks a dangerous line.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all are in luck because 1) i'm having That Feeling where I really want people to read what I've written and B) I've finished chapter 6 and half of chapter 7 with the rest outlined, so i feel like posting this early is justified ;)

The Council had, unwittingly and _very_ indirectly, given her enough credits to buy a small ship for one person, but while walking through the docking bay, Ahsoka had been lucky enough to find a small group of ‘traders’ headed to Cato Neimoidia. _And_ , after she’d quietly informed them of how quickly she could call down the Republic inspectors to check their cargo, they allowed her on their ship for only half of the ridiculous price they’d first demanded.

Though they landed in an area under Separatist occupation, stealing a speeder from the droids had been as easy as taking candy from a baby. After disabling the tracker, the planet’s foggy cover hid Ahsoka nicely as she was whisked away to the coordinates Anakin had given her.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t completely let go of the nervousness that held her mind captive. The last time she’d seen Master Plo was the day she’d left the Jedi Order. She wondered what he would say to her.

Time flew by as fast as the wisps of fog around her, and soon Ahsoka found herself staring up at one of the larger cities on the planet, strung up like a hammock between two mountainous rock pillars. She was stopped at the access point by a pair clone troopers, who confirmed that she was finally in Republic territory. After stating her business, they sent for an escort to take her straight to Master Plo.

Ahsoka had been familiar with the 104th, but as she passed through their base, the number of new troopers she had no names for was a violent reminder of the passing of time. Regardless, they recognized _her_ well enough to stare. It should’ve unnerved her, but alienation and loneliness were two experiences she was starting to feel comfortable with.

Commander Wolffe intercepted Ahsoka’s escort halfway through her journey. He gave a sharp nod to the other clones, who promptly turned and left.

“Had to check it was really you,” he said gruffly. “Didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

“Me either,” she mumbled.

He stopped her almost immediately, holding his free hand in front of her - his other one carried his helmet.

“S-Sir,” Wolffe faltered in the uncertainty of how to address her, “you really shouldn’t be here.”

“I know,” said Ahsoka, “But I couldn’t say no if it put Master Plo in danger.”

He gave an understanding nod, then dropped his hand and continued walking. They stopped in front of the door to the command room, and Wolffe turned to look at her with a grimace on his face.

“I feel I should apologize for everything that happened the last time I was with you,” he said. “Everyone was wrong, and I should’ve helped you somehow.”

The smile Ahsoka gave felt sad, even though she appreciated Wolffe’s words more than she could say. “You were just doing your job.”

“I don’t like to leave men behind in battle,” Wolffe replied stiffly. He turned away from her again and punched the buttons to open the door.

In the ornate Neimoidian room, Master Plo was alone and leaning over a holomap of the Separatist base.

“Ahsoka Tano,” he announced, without looking up.

At the sound of his deep voice, all of the nerves she’d been feeling simply vanished. “Master Plo,” she replied with smile.

He held out his hand to her. “Come here, child, tell me what you think.”

Had anyone else called her child, she would’ve felt resentful. But there was something reassuring about the way he said it - not as if he was being condescending or treating her as ignorant. Between them it was more a term of familiarity and care, a reminder of all the time they’d known each other. And anyways, Plo was old enough to call half the Council ‘child.’

She stepped up to Master Plo’s side and looked over the holo map. He placed his beckoning hand lightly on her shoulder. The blue turrets and arches of Cato Neimoidia’s rock surface stood hazily in front of her, with other dots of light indicating buildings and patrol routes.

After a quick scan, Ahsoka pointed to the northwest side of the map. “Their defenses are weakest here because they don’t expect you to be able to climb that rock, but if you sent in a troop of men with ascension cables they’d take everyone by surprise. They’d be able to wipe out these droids,” she pointed, “while your pilots can attack here,” she pointed again, “which would force out the remainder of their army where the rest of your men can pick them off as they come through this valley.”

“A good plan, but you’ve miscounted the number of droids.” Plo pointed to each little dot on the map. “Our reports say that there are five squadrons of battle droids and two of the B2’s.”

“No, they only have four squads of regular tinnies and one of supers,” Ahsoka said. “Though I did spot at least three droidekas, which can only mean more of them somewhere.” She had been very careful to scout out as much as she could from the tradeship’s viewing ports.

“When did you see this?”

Ahsoka shrugged. “I just came from within the city.”

“So you did.” Plo sighed and stepped away from the table. It was clear their tactical discussion was over. “My men tell me you came with a message from the Jedi Council. Why is it that you are the one delivering it?”

“It wasn’t really the Council that sent me,” Ahsoka admitted. “Anakin told me they’ve been trying to reach you,” said Ahsoka. “They said they’ve tried to contact you many times, but the Separatists have been jamming all lines of communication.”

“As have we,” Plo explained. “We can’t have any communication between the Neimoidian cities either.”

“What they needed to tell you… it’s really important. The Council wanted to wait to tell you until you came back from this mission, but both Anakin and I thought this was too serious to wait. So _I’m_ here instead.”

Plo nodded, apparently accepting her reasoning. “Tell me, then, what is this message?”

As she relayed what she had been told, Ahsoka couldn’t help shivering with the same chill she felt the first time she’d heard about the chips. The more she talked, the more Master Plo grew still, crossing his arms in front of his chest and staring out of the large window over the Neimoidian city.

“Skywalker should not have sent you,” he finally said, his voice hard. “He’s only put you further in harm’s way.”

“He didn’t send me; I chose to come here. And I can take care of myself,” Ahsoka answered coolly. “Besides, you can’t stop me from doing the right thing.”

Though no emotions could ever be read from under Master Plo’s mask, Ahsoka had known him long enough to hear the inferences in his voice. The caring pride she heard now almost overwhelmed her.

“No, little ‘soka. I don’t believe I could.” He rumbled in what could only be an amused chuckle. He turned to the table again and pressed the comm link on his sleeve. “Commander, I need you back up here.”

~~~

It had been two days since the meeting with the Council, and in half an hour, Anakin and Obi-Wan would be flying through the Coruscanti sunset to Serenno. Anakin should’ve been at the hangar, over seeing the last of the preparations. Even with the Force he’d struggle to get there on time now.

He hesitated as he stood outside Chancellor Palpatine’s offices and wondered what he was going to say. He’d been summoned, at least; maybe Palpatine already knew? That would be a relief. Anakin didn’t want to disobey the Council and disappoint Obi-Wan, but he didn’t understand how they could believe Palpatine had anything to do with this. His mind still wasn’t made up when he knocked on the door.

“Ah, come in!” the Chancellor called after he spotted Anakin standing in the open doorway. “I almost expected it to be another senator, but you’re a much better sight!”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Anakin replied with a smile as he walked over to the man behind the desk. “Though I think being a better sight than a politician is not much to brag about. No offense, of course,” he added quickly.

Palpatine smiled at him. “None taken! I unfortunately believe you’re right,” he said with a conspiratorial wink.

“What can I do for you, Chancellor?” Anakin asked.

“Well, I’m not sure yet. I’ve been hearing some strange reports about clones being spotted in the medical facility. Not unusual, of course, though apparently there’s nothing wrong with them, but I’m still curious why. Can you enlighten me?”

He didn’t know. Anakin stumbled. “Ah, well-”

“I see,” Palpatine said tightly. He stood from his chair and walked over to the window overlooking Coruscant. “ _Jedi Business_ ,” he said with disdain, but then his voice switched back to friendly and unctuous again in a flash. “Ah, well, no worries, my boy. I know we’re friends, Anakin, and I trust you. I’m sure you’d tell me if it was anything important.”

Anakin opened his mouth to speak, then promptly shut it again.

“Anakin? Is there something?” Concern painted Palpatine’s face, but then he turned away. “Not that I think you would hide anything from me after all. Nothing about _the Republic’s_ army.”

A sick feeling began curling around Anakin’s stomach. It must’ve showed on his face, as Palpatine reached up to put a hand on Anakin’s shoulder. Only, Palpatine’s hand felt so friendly and open that simply withholding information felt comparable to full on betrayal. The sickness in his stomach spread through him, becoming closer now to boiling than it was soothed.

“Whatever is the matter?” Palpatine asked. He peered up at Anakin, then as if stumbling on a realization gave a small gasp. “Oh! I’ve been fearing that the Jedi Council has been plotting against me for some time now. They’re hiding things from me because they want my power.”

Anakin gave a jolt. “No, they wouldn’t. It’s-”

“You feel uncomfortable, Anakin,” Palpatine said, his voice soothing, “because you want to tell me, but you don’t wish to go against what you’ve been _trained_ to believe all these years.”

There was something about that Anakin couldn’t deny. That the Council couldn’t trust the diplomatic and well-admired leader of the Republic confounded him.

“Both the Jedi and I outwardly agree on one thing: protecting the Republic. It’s what you as a Jedi Knight are sworn to do,” Palpatine reasoned. “If you believe that the Council’s intentions are in the Republic’s best interest, then I suppose there is no reason for me to know right now. But if you think that the Council is doing what is best for _them_ , then you must tell me!”

“I… I can’t.” Anakin said, but his voice hardly registered in his ears. His head was buzzing like the air taxis flying outside the window.

“I’m sorry, I feel like I’m putting you in the middle of some terrible bureaucratic nonsense.” Palpatine removed his hand from Anakin’s shoulder and quickly placed it behind his back, while turning to look back out of the window with a somewhat abashed nod of his head. “Please forgive me, I wouldn’t want our differences to ruin our friendship. I would never force the choice on you between telling me what’s bothering you and us remaining friends.”

And just like that, Anakin’s resolve snapped. “Chancellor, we’ve found programing in the clones’ biochips that would have them kill Jedi. We’ve been having them report to the medbay to get the chips removed.”

A sudden roll of anger hit Anakin through the Force like a icy tidal wave, and he nearly stumbled backwards from the sheer power of it. It vanished as quickly as it came. Anakin found himself staring at the old man in front of him, completely baffled. It wasn’t as if the Chancellor’s anger was unjustified, but there was something about it that felt too controlled. Could everyone’s suspicions about the Chancellor have some truth? _No_ , Anakin thought, _not Palpatine; he’s a good man, he cares for me and treats me like a son. There has to be another explanation._ But doubt still dwelled in Anakin’s heart.

As Palpatine slowly turned back around to him, Anakin tried every Jedi trick he knew to regain control over his expression. He placed his shaking hands behind his back, holding the flesh with the mechanical tight enough to cut off circulation, but it didn’t help the conflict that welled inside of him.

“My boy, these are dark times we’ve found ourselves in. I am grateful to you for telling me; I wonder what else the Jedi Council hides from their own leader, as if they mean to usurp me…”

“The Jedi’s desire isn’t for power,” Anakin said with a frown.

“I don’t know what their desires are these days.” Palpatine shook his head. “But I know that you would never let anything happen to me, and you are so much more powerful than any member on the Council. Will you stay by my side these next few days and help me sort this out with them?”

Anakin could feel his anger fighting to overwhelm him. He had let this man guide him, and he had respected his advice because so much of what he said rang true to Anakin. Could it be that the Council wanted to take control of the Senate?

“No.” Anakin’s voice was curt. “I’m sorry Chancellor, but Obi-Wan and I are leaving right now. We’re going to kill Count Dooku!” He wasn’t sure why he said that, though it felt like an attempt to poke the sarlacc.

A dangerousness flashed behind Palpatine’s eyes. Anakin couldn’t help wondering if this was the first time he’d seen it before or if it was just the first time he recognized it. “Kill him, hmm?” Palpatine asked, otherwise ignoring Anakin’s outburst. “Is that the Jedi way?”

Anakin fumbled. “I… We’ll do what we can to end this war!” _The man I know, that’s what he’d want!_ he thought. “If you’ll excuse me, Chancellor, my mission awaits.”

“Yes, of course,” Palpatine said with a friendly smile. “I look forward to the end of all this. Good luck- or, as you Jedi say; may the Force be with you.” It sounded so wrong coming from his mouth as if he emphasized all the opposite words that the Jedi did.

Anakin gave a gracious nod and left the room, his robes billowing around him. There was something that was itching in his mind, pushing him to look deeper but refusing to clarify further. It was infuriating, and in all that, Palpatine’s words still rang in his ears: ‘may the _Force_ be with _you_.’

As he walked down to the ship, Anakin’s mind wandered into the Force. Images flashed before his eyes, and voices echoed in his head. They were, for the most part, indistinct and shrouded by a grey smoke, but one voice spoke above the rest, powerful and harsh:

“There’s power in the dark side. You can take it! You can kill Dooku and replace him as my apprentice! The Force is yours to take and do with as you want!”

 _Never!_ Anakin thought in reply. _You will not turn me to the dark side. I’m not a bad person!_

He pushed the images of the sand people that had suddenly appeared out of his mind.

~~~

The door shut behind the Chosen One with a soft noise, and Palpatine _seethed_. How the Jedi had found out about the clones he did not know, but it could ruin everything. It was too soon, all of it. Though the Jedi’s violation of their relationship with the Republic was easy enough to turn the Senate against them, Palpatine still had so much more planned before his final take over. The power of the banks finally being turned over to him for starters.

But most important of his missing pieces was Anakin. He could feel the clutch of the Jedi Council beginning to weaken over the boy, but that still left him firmly attached to Obi-Wan Kenobi.

 _Oh, Master Kenobi_ , Palpatine thought with an evil twist to his mouth. He relished in the thought of Count Dooku killing him off.

Speaking of Count Dooku, well, he didn’t think young Anakin had figured out enough to expect Palpatine to forewarn his apprentice of their imminent arrival. And it didn’t matter; he would not. There could only be two Sith in the galaxy, and Palpatine was not about to give up his position.

“May the most powerful champion win,” Palpatine whispered to no one. If Dooku was the victor, it would admittedly be a great disappointment. He was strong, yes, but a placeholder nonetheless. Palpatine found it unlikely that Dooku would succeed, but his redemption then would be that he had defeated the Chosen One.

But if Anakin won... He wished he were there to see the look on the young Jedi’s face when he made the kill. It had been too soon to reveal Darth Sidious, but Palpatine felt confident that his meeting with Anakin had planted seeds of distrust and wrath and a desire for revenge in the boy. Then, after killing Dooku, and losing his old master, he’d wander lost and betrayed, his emotions pulling him ever further into darkness. He’d find his way back to the Temple eventually, back to Palpatine, and then the Sith Lord would strike. Anakin would fall to him, and they would rule the galaxy forever!

Still, until one of them triumphed, he needed another servant of darkness. Temporary, of course, but she didn’t need to know that. He pressed the button to call his personal clone guard in. They were men who had been with him since the beginning of the war, and Palpatine knew he had complete control over them.

“Have my small shuttle in hangar 66 prepared, I need to make a trip to the Republic’s Detention Center tonight.”

“Yes, sir.”

The hangar number was no coincidence. Palpatine had had it quietly set aside for only his personal use, and only in times when the utmost secrecy was required. The clones knew this well enough to not record travel logs or tell anyone who those ships belonged to, though nothing more. It was time for Palpatine to finish what he’d started.

~~~

Master Windu was waiting for Anakin by the ramp onto the Cruiser, bathed in the rich red glow of the sunset, and looking out over planet-wide city that sparkled under the last rays of light. He wore a stern look as he turned to watch Anakin stride towards him.

“I almost didn’t think you’d make it, Skywalker,” he said.

Anakin grimaced. It wasn’t his fault, really, and it definitely wasn’t as if he’d enjoyed himself. “Master Windu, I didn’t realize there’d be a send off party.”

Windu gave a quick, humorless smile. “No party, just me.” He stood quietly and studied Anakin for a moment, as if trying to scanning him through the Force. “You seem troubled.”

“I was just talking with Chancellor Palpatine, and… I felt something in the Force. It felt like a wave, but it was so... dark.”

“What do you think caused it?” Master Windu asked, his brows furrowing.

“I… I couldn’t tell.” Anakin felt a cold shudder at just the thought of being back in the Chancellor’s offices. “I can’t see what it could’ve been.”

“The dark side clouds all of our minds,” said Windu.

“I know, but I think there’s more to it than that,” Anakin argued, though it wasn’t as if he’d actually expected more from any of the Jedi Masters. “Maybe if you or Master Yoda went and investigated…”

“Master Yoda left for Kashyyyk this morning,” Windu informed him.

“Oh.”

“I’ll look into it, Skywalker,” he assured. “Concentrate on your mission.”

Anakin barely let himself breathe even the smallest sigh of relief. “Yes, master.”

“Go, get on your ship before it leaves without you,” Windu said sharply, then added in a calmer tone, “and may the Force be with you.”

Anakin nodded. “And with you.”

 _May the Force be_ with _you_ , Anakin thought. So different from what Palpatine said. But isn’t the Force everywhere? Then why wouldn’t it be with him? What if it was the dark side of the Force that was with him instead? Or what if the Force somehow could be against him? Despite his worries, Anakin smiled to himself as he walked down to the cruiser; these were exactly the sort of questions that he’d driven Obi-Wan crazy with as a kid.

“Have faith, my young Padawan,” his old master would answer, as patiently as he could manage, “and acquiescence that we are but a part of a greater balance - one that will guide us in the right direction for the galaxy, if we let it, but not always for ourselves.”

He was there now too. With a casual elegance, Obi-Wan was leaning against the door, waiting for him, undoubtedly ready to chide him for his tardiness.

“Anakin!” he said, then raised an eyebrow in bemusement. “What are you smiling about?”

“I’m just remembering something you said to me a long time ago.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “Really? You mean you were actually listening?”

Anakin smirked. “Of course, master,” he said, but as he walked past Obi-Wan his smile turned sour. _I listened to you_ , he thought, _but I can’t act how you want me to._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I love all of you that have kudos'd and commented so far, even if I haven't gotten round to replying yet. Ok, this is partially because I'm reading some of your comments and having to restrain myself from spoiling everything XD


	4. Chapter 4

There was something agonizing about being cut off from the the rest of the galaxy. And not just physically cut off, but cut off through the Force too. It was technology created by the Jedi of the Old Republic to imprison their Sith counterparts, and now it was used by the Republic to contain Barriss Offee; not a Sith, but a murderer nonetheless, and certainly not a Jedi.

At first she’d spend her days in meditation, reaching out with her consciousness to fill the entire small box that encompassed her new life. Then she’d practice her forms, even without a lightsaber - she remembered every single one that Master Luminara had taught her. But she didn’t think of her old master as she slid into each position, pivoting every time she hit a wall. She wanted to be angry and feel the same fury she’d felt when she planned the bombing and the same righteousness she’d felt confessing her actions to the Senate. She wanted to think about Luminara and her old life and feel rage, but she didn’t. Thinking of them just made her feel tired and sad and alone.

After a month, with every day that passed, those walls seemed to shrink on her as she meditated. She lashed out against them through the Force, beat upon them with her hands and her feet, rattled the opening port to the door, and yelled at whoever was bringing her food but to no avail. In the end, she’d sit in the darkness of her cell, knowing that war raged on in the galaxy.

But one day - or night, she couldn’t be sure - something damn close to a miracle happened. She wasn’t meditating exactly, more like she was drifting, when suddenly she felt an opening in the walls that bound her.

Her eyes flashed open, and she looked up at the shadowy figure standing in the light of the door. Not thinking any further than escape, she pushed at him through the Force with all her might. The only movement he made was to lift up a hand. It was only after she stopped, realizing how little of an effect she was having, that she began to sense the magnitude of dark power within this man.

“A worthy effort, my dear,” he said in a harsh but ingratiating voice, “but you should save your strength. I have a better use for you.”

The light began ease against her eyes and she peered under the cloaked man’s hood. “You’re Count Dooku’s master!” she blurted out, but that was not what she’d been thinking. Even with the subterfuge she knew that the man looking down on her now was none other than Chancellor Palpatine.

_ I was right about the war _ ! a voice within her roared triumphantly.

_ Oh, Force, I was right _ , the voice then repeated in horror. The Jedi were puppets of evil, and they didn’t even know it.  _ They are blind! _ the voice snarled.

“That I am. You may call me Darth Sidious.” He smiled down at her as she cowered. “Good. I need a quick learner.”

“For what?” she asked bitterly.

“I’m giving you the chance to help end this war!”

Confusion crossed Barriss’ face. “End it? Why would  _ you _ want to end it?”

Sidious stepped up to her, reaching out his hand. She took it with much reluctance, and he waved his hand at the hip-height sheet of plastisteel she called a bed. Without turning away from her, he sat on the edge of the bed, folding his robes around him, while she pushed herself as far into the corner as she could. 

“I understand why you might think that,” he said, “but believe me, I would’ve ended this war much sooner if it weren’t for the Jedi. I wanted to; it was never my plan to have this drag on for so long. But even I could never have predicted how much the Jedi have grown to love the war, or how bloodthirsty they’ve become. Despite their position on peacekeeping, they’d rather fight than talk. They fight me at every attempt to negotiate. And they always want more men and more children to fight for them too!”

Barriss couldn’t help how sick she felt. Some part of her wanted to fight against his words and lash out at his lies, but she’d repressed that part of herself too well when she’d had the Temple bombed. Now, the haze of his words about what the Jedi had done clouded her senses, because they felt _right_ to her. All the anger she felt as a Padawan felt _justified_.

“But why me?” she asked, allowing the feral grin that had been rising up inside her to touch her face. “What can I do?”

“Your actions have already proved to me that you have what it takes,” he said. “Become my apprentice! Together we’ll end the war and put the Jedi in their place. You’ll have the galaxy’s eternal gratitude for revealing the truth about them.”

She didn’t have to imagine the righteousness she would feel announcing to everyone the crimes of the Jedi. She knew what she’d give to feel it again. But to be this Sith Lord’s apprentice? That brought its own dangers. 

“What about Dooku? Can’t there only be two Sith?”

Sidious waved a hand carelessly. “I’ve let him have Grievous and Ventress, haven’t I?”

His indifference surprised her, and for a moment panic flooded her body. “What if I say no?”

Sidious stood abruptly with a whirl of his robes and stepped towards the door, blotting out the little amount of light that Barriss had been sitting in. Under his hood, his mouth was contorted.

“Then I’ll leave you here to rot!” he snarled. His voice smoothed, but only slightly. “Don’t you want to stop the violence the Jedi are spreading?”

Her mind made up, she staggered off the bed to kneel in front of him. “More than anything.”

“Good, good. You will pledge yourself to me, and together we’ll bring peace to the Republic.”

“I pledge myself, master.” Her voice was strong.

“You shall be reintroduced to the galaxy as Darth Finita,” he said with a smile. “Rise, my new apprentice. We have much to do.”

~~~

“So, correct me if I’m wrong, sir, but your plan is to drop out of hyperspace outside of range of the enemy’s blockade and hope they don’t notice, fly a stealth ship down to Serenno and hope they don’t notice, storm the base and hope they don’t notice, and if you get through all that you still have to fight Dooku?” Rex summarized.

Anakin and Obi-Wan shared a glance, then nodded. “Yep!” Anakin said.

“No wonder this is a last ditch plan,” said Cody.

“We’ve done more with less,” Obi-Wan argued.

This time it was Rex and Cody’s turn to share a knowing look.

“If anything goes wrong passing through the blockade, the  _ Resolute _ will be there to back you up,” said Admiral Yularen, “but it’s unlikely we’d be able to break through to help you on the surface. If we only had enough men to send a troop down with you…”

Anakin grimaced. There were so many people they had to keep in the dark. It was just another set of secrets he had to keep.

“Dooku can only be taken through the Force,” Obi-Wan said, “and he can only be restrained by the containment device aboard this ship. We want him alive.”

“Sir, I think it’s highly unlikely you’ll be able to enter Dooku’s base without the Serennoans being alerted,” Cody said. “What then?”

“Then we’d better hope we’re able to catch Dooku before they show up,” Anakin replied.

There was an alert from the control station, and the ship came out of hyperspace.

“We move to position ourselves behind Serenno’s moon,” said Yularen into a comm device. He looked up at Anakin and Obi-Wan before turning to leave. “We’ll be ready to let you out shortly.”

Anakin nodded at Obi-Wan. “Guess we’re up.” He looked over at Rex and Cody. “See you guys soon.”

“Not too soon, I hope,” Rex replied.

Anakin gave a smirk, but he could barely put any humor behind it. He turned on his heel with Obi-Wan, leaving their troopers behind.

“They do have a point, though,” he started as soon as the door closed behind them and they were alone in a hallway. He matched Obi-Wan’s pace as they walked down to the hangar. “This plan is kind of like something I would’ve thought up as a Padawan.” He scrunched his nose up as he remembered. “Actually, this  _ is _ something I thought of as a Padawan.”

“I remember.” Obi-Wan smirked. “I remember Master Windu’s face when you asked him why we didn’t just fly to Serenno and attack Dooku there.”

“It was a stupid plan then, and it’s a stupid plan now. With more finesse at least.” Anakin looked over at Obi-Wan who was walking serenely beside him, his hands behind his back. “You don’t seem concerned. I would’ve expected even you to have something to say about all of this.” 

“I have no worries,” Obi-Wan said, smiling up at Anakin. “Not when you’re with me.”

The honesty in his master’s voice nearly made Anakin blush. He shook his head with a smile. “So you’ll let me fly without complaining then?”

“Don’t push your luck.”

Anakin might’ve tried to tease Obi-Wan about calling some things ‘luck,’ but they’d had just reached the special stealth ship they’d acquired for the mission. After boarding the ship - Anakin took the pilot’s seat without any discussion or complaint - and getting approval from the command center, the two Jedi left the  _ Resolute _ .

They turned the cloaking device on almost immediately, and set the stealth ship’s course to take them down to Serenno at the fastest sub-light speed it could make. Still, they traveled a couple hours before entering into the atmosphere, undetected so far. Anakin thought it likely that Dooku would sense them through the Force before they got to him, though. But realizing what he was doing, he let out a silent string of Huttese swears and shook his head as if to dispel the barrage of doubtful thoughts he’d been feeling since his meeting with Palpatine. The mission was too important.

They touched down in forest glade near Dooku’s base with barely a breeze. The weather was always pleasant in the well-populated parts of Serenno, and here was no exception. Anakin took a deep breath of fresh air, humidity still feeling foreign in his lungs, and a thin film of darkness touched him through the Force. He couldn’t help the look of disgust that crossed his face.

Obi-Wan caught Anakin’s eye and nodded. “Together,” he stated. It wasn’t a question or a doubt, it wasn’t a command, it was just a fact.

“Together,” Anakin repeated.

They paced through the trees, keeping all senses alert. Dooku’s tall, sharp tower loomed ahead of them, and even from this distance Anakin could see droids hurrying around in its shadow. The wall that surrounded his base was high, but not high enough that two Jedi couldn’t make it over with a little help from the Force. Both Anakin and Obi-Wan dropped lightly on their feet, standing up slowly behind the ten battle droids that were turning around to look at them.

The droids were dispatched with ease, before any could get a message out, but their bodies were left lying in the open. It had to be that way; Anakin had figured they’d probably end up having to destroy everything near Dooku no matter what, so clean up would be redundant.

The Jedi slinked through the buildings around the tower like tooka, cutting down any sentient machinery in their path, quietly stalking ever closer to their main prey. By the time they’d reached Count Dooku’s damn  _ front door _ there was nothing remaining outside to see them enter. Inside the low-lit palace was another matter, however. Obi-Wan knocked out the few Serrenoans Dooku trusted enough to allow them here, and he and Anakin jumped into the elevator.

Two MagnaGuards were waiting in the middle of the corridor on the top floor, each standing on either side of a heavy durasteel door. They barely had time to react in surprise before Anakin and Obi-Wan were on top of them, stabbing and slicing each to pieces and leaving the droid parts slumped against the door.

Anakin moved over to the control panel, then looked down at Obi-Wan - who gave a quick nod - before punching the open button.

Standing behind his desk, Dooku was illuminated in the green light that filtered through the large window at the end of the chamber. The MagnaGuards dropped, sizzling, in the door’s path as it opened, and the Jedi walk up to him, sheathing their weapons, though not letting them from their grasp.

“A brash plan, attacking me here,” Count Dooku declared, his voice echoing in the halls of his cavernous office. He gestured nonchalantly to Anakin, and his voice was laced with condescension. “One of yours, I assume.”

“Disparage all you want Dooku,” Obi-Wan said, making a near invisible gesture to Anakin who had puffed up his chest at the old Sith’s comment, “but here we stand before you.”

“Oh, Kenobi,” Dooku intoned. “You could’ve been a great Jedi, and yet you allowed yourself to be dragged down by an overinflated, unmanageable shipwreck. You don’t have to be his master anymore, always there to clean up his _ failures. _ ” He spat the last word.

Anakin took a deep breath. He knew Dooku was just trying to provoke him and push him to become an easy target, but he had grown from the brazen Padawan who would take that bait.

“You’re right, Dooku,” he called out, “but you should be grateful he did take me in. Had Obi-Wan not taught me to have patience like his, I would cut you down where you stand.” (Ok, not  _ quite _ as brazen.)

Obi-Wan’s voice remained calm, but it had an edge to it that made Anakin realize that Dooku had actually managed to anger him. “You talk as if you think Anakin has nothing to teach me. As if you thought so highly of me when I was a Padawan.” Obi-Wan tilted his head up, standing a little taller. “Any ‘greatness’ you see in me is from the time I’ve spent with him. He has shaped who I am as much as the Jedi.”

Anakin’s heart welled at the praise, but he could not allow himself to look over at his master.

“How endearing,” Dooku sneered. He turned away from them to face the great, green window, clasping his hands behind his back. “Enough of this! Tell me what you are here for and let us be done!”

“For you to surrender along with the rest of the Separatists,” said Anakin.

“No!” Dooku thundered. “I will not bow to the Republic’s incompetence.”

“Then we’ll have to drag you to the Senate unconscious,” replied Obi-Wan. 

“Very well,” said Dooku, “I’ll ask you once more before I kill you: Join me! Leave the Jedi Order and their archaic ways. I can show you true power!”

Anakin could hear the Sith Lord’s voice echoing Dooku’s words in his mind. “No, never!” he snapped.

“Not you, foolish boy,” Dooku snarled over his shoulder. “I make this offer only to Kenobi.”

“Ha!” Obi-Wan barked. “You must be more desperate than I thought, Dooku, if you think you’d ever turn me.”

Dooku whirled around to face them, his lightsaber appearing in his hand. “Not as desperate as you coming here to find me.”

With less than a glance at each other, Anakin and Obi-Wan leapt into the air and landed on either side of Dooku, lightsabers pulsing. With an elegant twirl, Dooku blocked both their blows and jumped lightly on to his desk, trying to make the Jedi fight him from below. But in a few quick strikes, Anakin had turned the desk to splinters. With a flip, Dooku jumped off the ruined desk, landing right in Obi-Wan’s path. Realizing his opponents’ increasing skills, Dooku face hardened in concentration. Then the fight _ really _ began.

It was nothing like the first time the three of them had fought each other, nor even like the last time they fought, over a week ago on Oba Diah. There was no escape for anyone here.

Anakin and Obi-Wan flowed through their separate forms as one body with one mind and a singular purpose. Parry, twist, block, jump, slash, turn, stab, flip, and block again. For all his fencing prowess, Dooku could only hold the two of them at bay. Chairs, bits of droids, and other items flew around the room almost incidentally, as if none of the combatants were controlling them, and their chaos just happened to be a normal part of any Jedi battle.

Dooku’s large chair came flying at Obi-Wan, forcing him to quickly sidestep away and cut through the Serennoan hardwood in a blast of splinters. And in the brief intermittence when Anakin had to fight Dooku alone, he made a flourishing move, scoring Dooku’s arm and causing him to drop his lightsaber, just as Obi-Wan came back to stand beside him.

The Count now stood before the two of them, disarmed, his heavy breathing betraying his calm exterior. He seemed almost surprised as he looked back and forth between Obi-Wan and Anakin, obviously weighing his options.

“Surrender, Dooku,” said Obi-Wan.

But Dooku was not ready for that yet. With the Force, he threw Obi-Wan back against the wall with a  _ crack _ . He didn’t get back up.

Anakin felt his heart drop. “Obi-Wan!” he called, unable to stop himself from glancing back, but there was no reply. In this moment of distraction, Dooku used the Force again to reclaim his lightsaber then throw himself at Anakin.

Anakin deflected last second, and their lightsabers once again crashed together in a shower of sparks. The second fight commenced without Obi-Wan, and Anakin put every ounce of force he could manage into his attacks. He parried and spun, feeling rage fill him, relentlessly beating Dooku’s every move. Without tire he fought on, both on the outside fighting Dooku, and on the inside, fighting to keep his consuming fury in check.

Though Dooku’s calm condescension gave him the appearance of one swatting a fly, the lessening perfection in his moves made it clear he was wearing down. Finally, a small misstep allowed room for Anakin’s lightsaber to slice sideways through his right arm then down on his left. As Dooku’s hands dropped to the floor, his ‘saber flew into the air, and with a little help from the Force Anakin caught it, igniting it as he kicked Dooku to the floor.

On his knees Dooku wavered, a look of near shock on his face as he drew his eyes from the lightsabers resting by his neck up to Anakin.

“What now?” he asked, his voice hoarse. “Will you kill me?”

Anakin stared hard at the old man in front of him. Dooku’s eyes blazed red and hateful, and Anakin knew that with a twitch of his hands he could end the Sith’s life. It would be so quick and easy to rid the galaxy of someone so dangerous. It would be justice. Both his mechanical and flesh hands curled tighter around the lightsabers.

But Anakin let his eyes flicker over to his old master lying on the floor, and those thoughts seemed to dissolve away into his subconscious. Were their roles reversed, Obi-Wan would never kill Dooku. It was not the Jedi way to execute an unarmed man. 

“If you don’t kill me, my master will come for me,” said Dooku. He almost sounded desperate for death, and his refusal to look down his separated hands was obvious.

Anakin wanted to laugh as he looked down at his captive. “If your master wanted you anymore, he might’ve told you Obi-Wan and I were coming.” He dipped into the Force to keep Dooku on his knees, but flicked both lightsabers off, stowing them at his belt. “It’s obvious he didn’t. Perhaps your master thinks he’s found someone better, meaning your usefulness has come to an end.” Anakin could not keep the bitter anger from his voice.

Dooku’s eyes widened, but he said nothing more. Still holding him with the Force, Anakin pulled out the electrobonds, useless now, and a plasma rope from a pouch on his belt. He knew the rope would hold Dooku well enough as it had before; they were a pair of items that Obi-Wan had “borrowed” from Hondo. For once, Anakin felt grateful for that unusual alliance.

Once he and Dooku were bound, Anakin rushed over to Obi-Wan. He brushed his fingers against the man’s neck, feeling a pulse, then carefully cradled Obi-Wan’s head in his hands.

“Master?” he whispered.

Obi-Wan’s eyelids fluttered, and he muttered something unintelligible.

“Obi-Wan!” Anakin said a little louder.

This time his eyelids flicked open, his eyes darting around before locking on Anakin.

“Mmmm. What happened? Where’s Dooku?”

Anakin glanced up, though he didn’t have to; he’d been keeping an eye on Dooku the whole time, and the man had not moved. “I’ve got him,” Anakin said, his hands moving down to help Obi-Wan into a sitting position. “I just had to check on you.”

Obi-Wan blinked. “What, did you think I was dead?” he asked, his voice weak.

“Of course not,” said Anakin. “Nobody gets to kill you but me.”

“How relieving,” Obi-Wan snarked feebly.

Obi-Wan stood, with a lot of help, and they made their way back over to Dooku.

“Get up,” Anakin commanded.

He received a dark look in return, but no outward defiance. They left the way they came in, Dooku in front so Anakin could keep an eye on him and Obi-Wan wobbling, though his stability was coming back with every step, his arm still around Anakin. The journey back to the ship this way was quicker, but somehow more somber.

The skinny stealth ship was mostly all one room, with the pilot’s seat at the front, and then a hall leading to what was intended to be a cargo bay. After trussing Dooku up with the rest of the rope and tying him to a railing in the back of the ship, Anakin and Obi-Wan walked back to the front of the ship. Midway, Obi-Wan stopped him. 

“I’ll stay and watch him,” he said. “You don’t need my help to fly back.”

Anakin nodded and helped him sit down in the hall. He gave his master’s shoulder a squeeze as he stood back up, earning him a flicker of a smile as Obi-Wan shifted into a comfortable position.

Even after the engines were running, the only sound that broke silence between the three men was the clicking of the control switches as Anakin programed the ship to take them back to the  _ Resolute _ . His eyes closed and he allowed himself to imagine some of the things he and Padmé would do with their free time when the war was over. 

~~~

Rex sat in the dull grey interior of an empty room in the star destroyer and tried to get some rest. Unless General Skywalker sent a message, there was nothing to do, and in this rare down-time, most troopers in the 501st found a quiet place to nap. Their programing made them need less sleep, but their training made it easier for them to fall asleep in 98% of situations.

This situation was one of the 2%. Rex felt restless; every way he sat or lay there was something tickling his mind. He’d get up, walk around, sit back down, take his helmet off, put it back on, and always feel something itch against his instincts.

After the fiftieth circuit of the room, Rex’s comm blinked down on his arm. He raised it up to his face with a steadying breath - helmet still on, ready for any orders he got - and let the call come through. But the person that appeared through the holo was not General Skywalker as he’d expected. Rex didn’t recognize the dark hooded figure that stood in front of him, but the itch in his head grew more fervent.

In a rough voice, the old man spoke the words that Rex hoped he’d never have to hear.

“Execute Order 66.”

Rex braced himself against his body’s involuntary flinch like he was standing to attention, and though his chip had been removed, the answer still popped into his head as if it had never left.

“It will be done, my Lord.” He had never been more grateful for the vocal moderator in his helmet.

The holo vanished, and Rex stood staring at the empty space above his arm. His heart beat faster than it had ever.  _ It’s too soon!  _ he thought desperately. _ It’s too soon! _

He smashed a hand against the door’s controls and burst from the room. A trooper in the hallway - Dura, he thought, one of Cody’s - gave him an odd look as he walked by. Rex quickly walked up to him and grabbed his arm, turning him around.

“Did you get the message?” Rex asked.

Dura blinked. “W-what message, sir?”

“Nevermind,” he said. “Where can I find Commander Cody?”

After he got a location, Rex let Dura go. He passed other troopers on his way there, but none of them seemed any different than before. Rex was certain they hadn’t gotten the message, but then who else had? Had he dreamed the whole thing?

But once Rex found Cody, it became obvious that the message was not a dream. Cody sat like a statue in an empty dorm room. Even after Rex had taken his own helmet off and stepped closer, Cody still hadn’t moved.

“You got it too,” Rex stated.

Cody’s head snapped up. “How many men do you think got unchipped?”

“Not enough.”

“And how many Jedi are dying, right now?”

Rex felt a cold pit in his stomach. “I think only you and I know of this,” he said, leaving Cody’s question hanging, unanswered.

“Let’s keep it that way,” Cody said. “At least until the Jedi get back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've finished Chapter 7, but I'm hitting some plot related roadblocks... I put all my planning into a spreadsheet and found out that I've written pieces of 26 scenes that happen after ch7 in no particular order with only some vague stuff tying them together. *sighs*


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plo and Ahsoka head to Coruscant. Anakin and Obi-Wan return with Dooku to the Resolute.

She could feel the dark and agonizing disturbance in the Force minutes before Commander Wolffe burst through the door. 

“Sir- ,” he started.

“How many men?” Master Plo interrupted. “How many still have chips?”

“Enough,” said Wolffe. “The command came only to me, as ranking clone trooper, but I wasn’t alone when I answered. The message will spread.”

Though she tried to fend it off, fear coursed through Ahsoka as she began to understand the trouble she was in. She sent out a prayer through the Force to all the Jedi who didn’t know or didn’t have the limited protection Master Plo did, but the Force only replied with death and sorrow.

“We should go,” said Ahsoka. “The Separatists won’t care about anyone leaving the planet, and we need to go back to Coruscant.” Ahsoka wondered what was happening there right now. “They’ll need our help.”

“I agree, as dangerous as it may be. We cannot let this dark power grow. Can you get Ahsoka and I out of here?” Plo asked.

“I can,” said Wolffe. “I’ve already had a ship prepared.”

Plo nodded to Wolffe who pulled his blaster up to his side and opened the door. Ahsoka unhooked her lightsabers, but didn’t ignite them, and followed Wolffe outside. The trio wound their way up a narrow staircase carved from the rock spire that held it. As they neared the top, Ahsoka could feel a breeze on her montrals half a turn before they broke out onto a very small landing platform, only big enough for a fast two person ship.

Master Plo gestured to her, and she jumped into the ship, firing up the engines. Plo turned back to Commander Wolffe.

“Hold this position,” he said, having to raise his voice over the breeze and the ship. “Another battle has begun, but this one hasn’t ended. I trust you to take charge of this mission.”

“Yes, sir,” Wolffe replied with a salute.

Plo lowered his voice a notch, but Ahsoka could still hear. “Commander, if I don’t return-”

“Sir-” Wolffe broke in.

“ _ If _ I don’t return, Wolffe, you must promise me to only follow commands from another Jedi. Whoever is attempting to take over the Republic and kill the Jedi, we can’t allow them to take more power.”

“Yes, sir.” If Wolffe thought that statement treasonous, he didn’t show it.

Plo took a half step back, then added: “And if it is Ahsoka that comes back, follow her as you would a Jedi.”

Wolffe only hesitated for a fraction of a second, but it was enough for Ahsoka to notice. “Yes, sir,” he said.

Plo nodded, apparently satisfied, and climbed into the seat next to Ahsoka, pressing the few remaining buttons to start their take off.

Commander Wolffe stepped down the stairs to protect himself from the ship’s engines, but he stayed to watch them take off. Under that helmet she couldn’t be sure who he was watching, but Ahsoka had the uncomfortable feeling that it was her.

~~~

Before breaking through the Serennoan atmosphere, Anakin quickly put the ship back into stealth mode - that they had Count Dooku would likely keep them safe, but secrecy was still a necessity, and he didn’t fancy being shot at by Dooku’s blockade. Once they were free though and on their way back to the Republic’s star destroyer, Anakin left his seat in the front of the ship and went to sit by Obi-Wan.

As a child, he’d been almost unnerved by his master’s quietness - it made Anakin unsure if he was pleased with him - and he had not been able to stop himself from chattering about anything to fill the void. But overtime, he’d begun to appreciate the moments of peace with Obi-Wan. 

This was how he found himself sitting with his master in the ship’s hall behind the cockpit, shoulder to shoulder in companionable silence. It was likely that Obi-Wan was meditating, but Anakin found himself simply organizing his thoughts and feeding on the trickle of unfailing love that had started filtering through the Force from Obi-Wan the moment Anakin had sat next to him.

But he could feel that darkness had turned an eye on him too, and Anakin peeked up to see Dooku in the cargo bay, watching them both with a scowl on his face. He seemed defeated in a way that Anakin had not expected from the man. Dooku’s pride had always been his weakness, and in his dreams of capturing the Separatist leader, Anakin had either pictured Dooku standing tall and foreboding before the Senate or fighting until he was cut down, usually by Anakin himself.

What he had not expected was Dooku slumped in his cargo bay, tied up like a feral Brezak and staring with dead eyes. He seemed almost in shock, though it didn’t take Anakin much guessing to figure out why - the uneven stumps of Dooku’s arms hung limply by his sides.

“A great politician like you, Dooku,” Anakin said evenly, “I know you can fight just as well with your words as you can with your lightsaber. Well,  _ could _ ,” he corrected. He hadn’t meant to make that mistake in his wording - it was not the Jedi way to taunt a prisoner - and Anakin opened his mouth again to say so. But he swallowed the words and flinched as Obi-Wan suddenly gripped his arm, his eyes flying open.

“I didn’t mean-” Anakin began, then the wave of pain coming from the Force slammed into him too. Both Anakin and Obi-Wan sat perfectly still as if the Force had bound them in place with the cries of thousands of Jedi spread across the galaxy. Anakin was the first to move, jumping to his feet with his lightsaber blazing as if he expected to be able to be in a thousand places at once, fighting hundreds of thousands of clone troopers alone. As if seeing him for the first time, he turned to Dooku, then staggered to the back of the ship like he was wading upstream through the emotional overload the Force was trying to drown him in.

“What have you done?” His voice quavered as he stood before Dooku, but he shut it down with a roar. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!”

“Anakin.” Obi-Wan had risen and laid a hand on Anakin’s shoulder. Even in his calmness, he seemed almost dazed. “We must contact the  _ Resolute _ .”

Anakin could barely hear him. Red filled his vision, obscuring all but the prisoner kneeling before his feet. Dooku’s eyes glinted with something close to triumph. Anakin’s grip on his lightsaber tightened as he raised it.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan repeated, and the urgency in his voice finally broke through Anakin’s angry haze. “The Count is not our greatest threat anymore.” Flicking his lightsaber off, Anakin turned away from Dooku, and Obi-Wan reached his hand up to cup his cheek. “We must stay focused.” His voice was level, but his eyes were pleading.

With a hard blink to dispel the last of the red mist behind his eyes, Anakin replied, “Yes, master.”

Obi-Wan let his hand linger a second longer before letting go. It had been cool on Anakin’s cheek, and it’s absence was replaced with a hot rush of blood.

Obi-Wan sat in the copilot’s chair, but turned it to face Anakin who resumed his seat, still keeping Count Dooku in his peripheral vision. “Contact Admiral Yularen. Our cover will be blown, but we’re far enough away from the Separatist ships that it won’t matter,” he said.

Anakin nodded and brought a few more of the stealth ship’s systems back online. With a shaking hand, he activated the holo device and waited a few minutes before the call was accepted. An incomplete image of the inside of the  _ Resolute _ buzzed into view, with three figures standing side by side. Standing to attention in full armor, Cody and Rex were a silent, imposing pair. They flanked the Admiral, watching the Jedi through their helmets, rendering their expressions unreadable.

“Generals,” said Yularen. “Our scanners have you outside the agreed upon range. Did something go wrong?”

Anakin shared a quick glance at Obi-Wan who answered with the kind of calm that only he could possess, “No, Admiral. We’ve captured Count Dooku and will be bringing him aboard soon.”

Yularen nodded. “Good work, gentlemen,” he said with a slight smile. “A squad of troopers will await your arrival.”

“Thank you, Admiral,” Obi-Wan replied but did not return the smile.

The clone troopers watched, saying nothing, but before ending the transmission a quick decision made Anakin give the hand signal for _ all helmets off _ . Rex remained still, making Anakin wonder if he’d seen, but then he replied in kind:  _ copy that _ . Cody mirrored him. 

As he shut down the transmission, Anakin noticed Obi-Wan looking at him with a raised eyebrow, but Anakin kept his expression neutral.  _ See what Dooku makes of all the troopers with scars on their heads,  _ he thought with a sense of vindictive pleasure. He glanced back at Dooku _. I want to see your face when you realize you can’t control them anymore. _

~~~

The flight back to Coruscant was short enough yet concurrently the longest journey Ahsoka had ever taken. Every second, she imagined what was going on in the Temple: who was fighting, who was winning, who was dying. Endless cries of pain echoed throughout the Force, and dropping out of hyperspace and into view of the sparkling globe only made her feelings stronger. She tried to release her fear into the Force, using techniques she’d grown comfortable with, but it was like spitting into a headwind; all her emotions only came back to smother her.

A hand on her arm brought her back to the present.

“We must be ready, Ahsoka,” Master Plo said. “We must be prepared for what we might find down there.”

Ahsoka shuddered. “Yes, master. Should we try to call?”

Plo nodded and lifted the comm on his arm, pressing some buttons. Master Windu appeared before them, and judging by the chatter in the background, he wasn’t alone.

“Master Plo?” Mace said in surprise, then after a glance at Ahsoka swallowed his next question. “I’m glad to see you.”

“And I you. What’s the situation?” Plo asked.

Master Windu crossed his arms. “We’ve been holding off the clones as best we can, but their numbers are overwhelming us. Master Tiin and I are going to the Senate to confront Palpatine.” Windu scowled deeply. “There’s something that tells me he may have more of a hand in this than we could’ve ever imagined.”

“The Supreme Chancellor?” Ahsoka gasped.

“You think he may be the Sith Lord that Dooku spoke of?” asked Plo.

“Or he’s under the Sith Lord’s control. Either way, we could use your help,” said Mace. “I know the Sith must have a hand in this, and we don’t know how powerful he may be.”

Plo nodded. “We’ll meet you down there.” He ended the call, and programed the ship’s new coordinates. “When we reach the ground, I want you to take the ship and leave.”

“Leave? Where?” Ahsoka asked.

The skin over his eyes tightened. “Away from Coruscant.”

“You mean run?” Ahsoka asked incredulously.

“I sense that this may end in bloodshed for all of us,” Plo said. “I would not have you suffer that fate when there’s a way out.”

“You know I can’t do that,” pleaded Ahsoka. “Who would I be if I abandoned others to serve myself?”

Master Plo was silent a moment. Ahsoka couldn’t tell was he was thinking, but there was fear in the Force around them. Though perhaps it came solely from her.

“Then stay close to me,” he finally said.

~~~

The landing platform above the Supreme Chancellor’s office held Palpatine’s ship, and one other - a Jedi issue transport.

“Master Windu has been here for awhile,” Ahsoka noted after touching the fast cooling hull of his ship.

“Then we’d best hurry,” replied Plo.

Bodies of Palpatine’s red guard lay in the hall leading up to the Chancellor’s door, all bearing lightsaber wounds. Ahsoka drew her own lightsabers, as did Master Plo beside her. Already she could feel a darkness in the Force. It grew colder and deeper the closer she got to the door, shrouding her mind and dulling her senses until the only thing she was sure of was her own movement and the acrid smell of burnt flesh in her nose. Even as she reached the door, she wanted to run.

The scene that came in upon was only worse. Wind from the broken window whipped at the two figures inside the frame of it. Already, Master Tiin was dead, and his lightsaber lay carelessly on the floor. Master Windu, however, had survived and was no standing over Chancellor Palpatine.

The two of them looked up at the newcomers, but Palpatine reacted faster. A lightsaber jumped into his hand and blazed with a short, red slash that cut across Windu. Ahsoka gasped and watched helplessly as Palpatine rose to his feet. Except, the man she once knew as Palpatine was no longer recognizable through the twisted, pallid wreck that she saw. The new face of the Sith Lord wrinkled with an evil grin as he pushed Windu out of the building.

“NO!” Ahsoka cried, but he fell anyway. She reached for the Force, reaching out for Master Windu, then lost it all as Darth Sidious leapt from his position and spun into the space between her and Master Plo. Another cry broke from her lips as she turned away from his strike.

Sidious turned immediately to Master Plo, who had already gathered himself for the fight. Ahsoka leapt up to join in, but Sidious swatted away her blows with barely a second glance. Once again she reached out to the Force and after finding a hold on Sidious, flung him towards the open window.

He skidded to a halt right before the framing. Hoping to catch him off guard, Plo rushed at him, blue light circling around him, but Sidious quickly recovered and Force-threw Plo back against the wall where he crumpled.

Ahsoka barely had time to react before Sidious came bearing down on her. She blocked all of his blows, but couldn’t get in any attacks of her own. Then her chance was there. She sliced through the opening, but just at the last second Sidious blocked, sending her lightsaber flying and a sharp jolt of pain through her hand. Sidious grabbed ahold of her shorter blade with the Force, pulled both it and her to him and plucked it from her fingers, shoving her down to the floor. 

She scrambled backwards, away from Sidious’s reach, until her fingers brushed against one of Tiin’s head-tails, though she tried not to think about that. She stared up at the evil face of the Chancellor and felt every muscle in her body screaming at her to get up and run. 

“Oh, youngling,” Sidious said, sneering down at Ahsoka, “I had hoped I’d seen the last of you.”

Controlling her fear Ahsoka snarled, “Well I’m about to see the last of you.” She reached out with the Force, picking up her cast aside lightsaber, tearing her second from Sidious’s grasp, and bringing them up to block his downswing. Pushing his lightsaber out of the way, she leapt to her feet, only to feel her throat constrict as he lifted her from the ground with the Force.

“I think not,” Sidious replied. He studied her as she struggled. “In fact, you may prove useful in… other endeavors.”

Though she was coughing and sputtering, Ahsoka felt anger course through her; whatever these ‘other endeavors’ were, she didn’t like the idea of being a Sith Lord’s puppet. But how she could get away from him was unclear to her. Her ‘sabers were on the ground again, and she could not get free from his clutches.

Suddenly, a blue lightsaber came arcing down over Sidious’s head. He whirled to catch Master Plo’s blade, and in doing so let go of Ahsoka. She quickly reclaimed her lightsabers, then watched in horror as Sidious’s blade caught Plo’s and sliced the top of one of his legs. He dropped to his knee with a groan, and Ahsoka rushed over to catch him. Laughing, Sidious raised his ‘saber to make a killing blow.

But at the peak of his arc, the door opened again to reveal Master Yoda, casting a long shadow in three directions. Sidious lowered his lightsaber slowly, and Ahsoka pulled Master Plo back to Yoda.

“Finally,” said Sidious, “someone worthy of killing. Though I’d rather hoped your clones would get you.”

“Betray me, they would not. Removed, your evil influence over them is.”

Sidious practically growled. “I suppose you had to figure it out at some point. You may think you’ve foiled my plan, but I have done enough.”

“Foil your plan, _ I  _ did not, Sidious; it was one of your clones who discover the chip.” Yoda nodded to himself. “Defeated by your own weapon, you were.”

Sidious laughed. “Defeated, you say? No, I’m merely behind schedule. I will rule the galaxy at the end of all this, and the Jedi will be dead!” His lightsaber blazed red and angry in his hand.

Yoda spared a glance at Ahsoka and Master Plo who was struggling to his feet. He spoke quietly to them. “Go to the Temple you must. Need you there now, the younglings do.”

“But Master Yoda-”

“Go!” he commanded as Sidious leapt into the air again.

She could hear the spark of lightsabers as she and Master Plo ran back to their ship. As they got there, Plo braced himself heavily on the helm of the ship, breathing deeply and slowly.

Ahsoka reached a hand up to his shoulder. “Master Plo?”

He put his hand over hers. “It’s just a graze, Ahsoka, I’ve had worse,” he assured her.

“I don’t like that we left Master Yoda to fight him alone,” Ahsoka said.

“If we had stayed, we would be dead,” Plo pointed out. “If Master Yoda can’t end this, then…” Plo stopped, as if the possibility was too horrible to comprehend. “Come, we have another job to do.”

~~~

Anakin’s wish about Dooku was granted, if only for a second. Twenty scarred, battle-hardened, and near identical faces watched as the three men stepped out of the stealth ship, and Dooku’s own face contorted into something of shock, then revulsion, before quickly settling back into a pensive but darkened look.

One of the men stepped up to Anakin. To Dooku, this man might have been about as distinguishable as any droid, but there was nothing unoriginal about this clone. Even without the bleached hair Anakin would’ve known him instantly.

“General,” said Captain Rex, “the order came through.”

“From whom?” Obi-Wan asked sharply.

Rex shook his head. “I’m sorry, General, I couldn’t tell.”

“Who else knows?” Anakin asked.

“Just me and Commander Cody, sir.” It was clear that Rex felt tense without his helmet, especially in front of Count Dooku.

Dooku had no such qualms. He sneered, “You gave them names.” His voice was dripping with disapproval. “Remind me again what the Jedi say about attachment?”

“We gave ourselves names, sir,” Rex replied. He made to step away from the Jedi, then at the last moment opened his mouth again. “Thank you,” he said, completely sincere. 

That set Dooku back on his heels. Even Anakin couldn’t help the quizzical look that crossed his face.

“Whatever for?” Dooku asked.

“For my existence. Without you, I wouldn’t be here today,” Rex answered.There wasn’t a trace of anything but honesty in his voice. Rex continued, “However, you may have  _ allowed  _ our beginning, but  _ we _ are the ones who’ve made our own lives.”

With a salute, Rex stepped back into line with the other clone troopers. Anakin’s lips turned up into a grim smile despite himself.

Dooku sniffed. “The Republic Senate has made your lives, not you or I.”

The stillness in the room was palpable, but the clone’s training showed as not a single one moved or reacted to Dooku’s statement. Anakin felt himself tensing up as if the Count’s words were directed at him, then Obi-Wan spoke:

“Enough chit-chat, Dooku. We don’t have all day.”

Anger seethed from Dooku, but he continued walking down the line of troopers. Anakin and Obi-Wan led him down the halls of the  _ Resolute _ to the prison bay passing dozens of clones, all with their helmets off and their chip scars visible.

“The Jedi are out there dying, Kenobi,” Dooku spat at them once he was hanging tantalizingly in the containment field. “Whatever game you’re trying to play with me won’t have any effect.” 

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, managing to look disparaging even as Dooku was literally looking down his nose at him. “Funny, I believe it’s already had its effect,” he said. “We’ll send a medic in to look at your arms.”

He turned to leave, and Anakin followed him out. Now that he was free from Dooku, the millions of thoughts that he’d kept back in concentration hit him like a barrage of blaster fire. Who had given the order? Was Padmé safe? Was Palpatine? Where was Ahsoka, and had Anakin lead her right into a trap? What was happening to the other Jedi? 

Anger raged inside him, like a monster swimming beneath the calm surface of a lake. How could this have happened?

He made the first turn towards his room aboard the ship, but Obi-Wan’s voice stopped him.

“Where are you going? We have to report to Yularen.”

Reports?  _ Yularen? _ These were the last things on Anakin’s mind. “I don’t have time for any of that! Do you know what’s happening out there? Do you care?”

“Of course I know,” Obi-Wan said, and the pain in his voice made Anakin immediately cringe in contrition. “Of course I care, how could you even ask that?”

“I’m sorry, master,” he said with a note of pleading.

Obi-Wan sighed. “There’s little we can do now, but we have to stay focused. We cannot let the Admiral fly us back to Coruscant without knowing what awaits us there, and we may need to commandeer this ship away from him.”

“We shouldn’t stay near Serenno either,” Anakin pointed out. “What do we tell him?”

“I don’t know. We’ll have to think of something on the way up there.” Obi-Wan turned to leave, and with still some reluctance, Anakin followed. He knew Obi-Wan was right, but it didn’t stop him from worrying about the others. He could still feel the Jedi's pain through the Force.  


“Who were you going to talk to?” Obi-Wan asked.

“What?”

“You were just about to leave; I can only assume to contact someone,” Obi-Wan explained. “Who? Padmé or Palpatine?”

Anakin had thought of them both. But as it was unlikely that either were close to any Jedi, that did offer them some semblance of safety. Not that that lessened Anakin’s fears about them, but there was someone out there that’d he’d put directly in harm’s way. “Actually, Ahsoka.”

Obi-Wan’s mouth turned down in thought. “I don’t expect she’d be in any particular trouble. Unless she’s with another Jedi, which I don’t expect is likely.”

Anakin remained silent, wondering whether he should finally tell Obi-Wan about what he’d asked Ahsoka to do. It was likely it would come out anyways, and time would likely not ease his reaction.

“Anakin? What is it?” Obi-Wan asked, as if he could see right through him.

“I couldn’t get through to all the Jedi to warn them about the clones, so I asked Ahsoka for help,” Anakin admitted. “It’s likely she’s on Cato Neimoidia with Master Plo.”

Obi-Wan took this news in silence, with no discernable reaction aside from the tightening of his brows.

“I dragged her into this, Obi-Wan. If something happens to her-”

“Then it’s the will of the Force,” Obi-Wan cut in.

“That doesn’t make it feel any better,” Anakin snapped.

Obi-Wan tilted his head to fix Anakin more directly in his gaze as he kept walking. “She can take care of herself,” he said gently but firmly. “Come on, we have to stop this ship before it takes us somewhere we can’t escape from.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a good thing I've already got some chapters written as I've been doing a [lot](http://quiescentcastiel.tumblr.com/post/174842351913/hera-syndulla-space-mom-extraordinaire-acrylic) [more](http://quiescentcastiel.tumblr.com/post/174954374438/that-we-must-go-through-the-storm-is-my-choice) [painting](http://quiescentcastiel.tumblr.com/post/175052888938/ahsoka-tano-3) than writing this week ;) Also I finally went and saw Solo, which I enjoyed!  
> One more thing, if any of you are interested in being a beta and/or helping me work out plot details for this story, please let me know - it would be super appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka has a plan. Anakin and Obi-Wan do not.

Tall plumes of smoke rose from a couple places around the Temple, and as they got closer, shouts, blaster shots, and more explosions could be heard. Master Plo dropped the ship down quickly next one that looked awfully familiar.

“Grievous,” said Ahsoka grimly.

“Master Yoda was right to send us back,” said Plo. “Grievous will cut down everything in his path.”

Their ‘sabers hummed in the unexpected quiet as Plo and Ahsoka entered the Temple. The halls they walked through were empty, but the evidence of fighting appeared in the burns and scars that littered the wall. But as Ahsoka followed Master Plo, she began to hear the sounds of blasters. She counted five shooters by the sound of their shots, then four, then three.

Another trooper was killed when Ahsoka and Plo snuck out onto the platform above the large training room, leaving just one man shooting frantically at the spider-like half-droid. With a nod at Plo, they jumped over the railings and onto Grievous. Their presence was enough of a surprise that with a vicious swing mid-flight Master Plo took off one of Grievous’s arms.  _ Three more to go _ , Ahsoka thought as she landed with a roll and moved to attack position.

Plo landed heavily on his good leg, next to Ahsoka, and stood gracefully as Grievous roared with anger. His three arms began whirring as they spun in flashes of blue and green, creating a lightsaber shield in front of him. But there was a gap where his fourth arm had been, and after Grievous had advanced a few steps, Ahsoka, having made a quick calculation on the timing of his spins, dove for the open spot. Grievous moved to strike her with his opposite arms, but Master Plo was there to catch him. With a deft downcut, Ahsoka took off another of Grievous’s arms.  _ Down to two now _ , she thought.

But at that moment, Grievous used both of his remaining arms to catapult Plo away from him and bring down both lightsabers on Ahsoka. She blocked last minute, gritting her teeth as Grievous bore down on her with his mechanical limbs. With all her strength, she pushed him to the side and backflipped to get a better distance from him.

Plo, who had landed on both feet only to sink shakely down to his good knee, now stepped up to stand opposite Ahsoka. They flanked Grievous in a rotating standoff, testing his patience, until finally he dove for her. At that moment, she and Plo sprung up again, crossing over him, lightsabers flashing and sparking as Grievous stopped, now in front of Plo. Ahsoka rushed him from behind as he moved forward to attack Plo. He feinted to the side as if to take on Ahsoka, but as Plo ran up to attack him, Grievous plunged both lightsabers backward into Plo’s path. Master Plo deflected one blade, but the other sunk deep into his chest.

“Master!” Ahsoka cried in horror, even as she kept moving forward, her emotions pulling her down, down, her main lightsaber falling with her hands setting sparks flying and a scream of metal as it cut through one of Grievous’s legs.

With a yell, Grievous spun, and though his leg fell out from under him, he kept his balance well enough to bring his lightsabers down on Ahsoka. She twisted onto her back and blocked him at the last second, pushing upwards. Grievous teetered, then retracted his lightsabers just in time to land on his remaining arms. Ahsoka watched him scuttle away on his last limbs, climbing the post up to the platform where they’d come from. She knew she should chase him, finish him while she still could, but the rasping breaths behind her killed the willpower she had.

“Master Plo,” she gasped as she scrambled over to him. “No, no, no!”

“Leave me, Ahsoka,” he said weakly as he tried to brush her hands away from his head. “I am beyond help now, but the younglings are not. They need you.”

She pulled him up to her, keeping one hand behind his head, the other brushing over the hole in his chest where she could see straight through to her legs underneath. “But you need my help too,” she said, though she knew there was nothing she could do.

“No,” Plo rasped. “My time is up; I will be with the Force soon.”

“You’re with the Force now.” Ahsoka blinked away the tears filling her eyes. “I can’t do this on my own.”

“Yes, you can,” he said, his voice now no more than a whisper. He reached up with a shaking hand. “Little ‘soka,” Master Plo feebly brushed her montrals, “you are a great Jedi.”

_ I’m not a Jedi anymore _ , she thought, _ I can’t be _ . But she couldn’t tell him that, not now. Plo’s hand suddenly dropped as he breathed his last breath. _ I’m sorry, Master. I couldn’t save you. And I let Grievous go. I put my emotions ahead of the mission.  _ Teardrops she couldn’t stop rolled from her face and splashed onto Master Plo as she held him tightly one last time.

She let him lie back down, gently crossing his arms over his chest. She took his lightsaber too - she’d be damned if she’d ever let the enemy touch it - but that was the best she could do for him right now. Or ever, probably; she didn’t think she’d ever come back to the Temple after today.

Ahsoka spared a last glance at Plo, then looked over at the dead troopers, wondering if they’d been unchipped - if they would’ve tried to help her or tried to kill her. Suddenly, a flicker of movement caught her eye. Sensing danger, she grabbed at the person with the Force and pulled.

“Barriss!” Ahsoka gasped when she saw who she’d trapped. Without thinking, she released her old friend. 

Barriss’s hands instinctively grabbed at the two lightsabers on her belt. Two ‘sabers that Ahsoka recognized well and belonged, not to Barriss, but Ventress.

The memories of last time she saw Barris hit her with a dull ache. “How did you get here?” she asked. She knew that escaping a prison for Force-wielders couldn’t have been done alone.

“I was noticed by people in high places,” Barriss replied vaguely, but Ahsoka understood.

“A Sith Lord, you mean,” she snarled.

“He’s someone who’s willing to end this war!” said Barriss. “Someone who knows who he is and is  _ not  _ a hypocrite like the Jedi.”

It hurt to hear such cruel words from someone she’d known to be so kind. “Is that who you are now too?” Ahsoka asked quietly.

“Yes!” said Barriss. “I can’t be anyone else.”

Ahsoka’s heart yearned for the friend she once had. “But you can! You don’t have to hurt the Jedi or anyone. Please, Barriss.”

Her eyes flashed, and she raised the red ‘sabers to point them at Ahsoka. “I already  _ have  _ hurt the Jedi,” Barriss declared in a voice that did not seem like her own. It was harsh and haughty where hers had been soft and humble. But she lowered her lightsabers, Ahsoka saw in her a sliver of genuine emotion. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

But it was too late. “You already have!” Ahsoka snapped, picking Barriss up with the Force and flinging her back against the wall where she crumpled to the ground with a dull  _ thud _ . 

Ahsoka looked down at her shaking hands. All those times the Jedi had told her not to let her emotions control her actions came rushing back to her now. Again, it was too late.

The pulse that beat under Ahsoka’s fingertips as she knelt by her old friend was almost a blessing and a curse. She couldn’t kill Barriss, that she knew, but what could she do? She’d wasted too much time getting to the younglings already.

Thankfully, a couple of the fallen clones had electrobonds with them. Ahsoka used three pairs; the first to connect Barriss’s arms together, the second around her ankles, and the third to tie her to a railing near the door. The restraints wouldn’t be impervious to the Force, but they’d keep her occupied.

Barriss remained unconscious even as Ahsoka was leaving. There was a peacefulness to her sleep; with her eyes shut she looked so closed off from all the horrors of the galaxy. Ahsoka let her fingers brush Barriss’s cheek, almost wishing she didn’t have to wake up and return to whatever course evil had put her on. But it was too much to ask.

Ahsoka began to sneak through the halls again, moving at a light run. The paths and shortcuts came so easily to her, as if she’d never left, but the faces she would’ve recognized were no longer there. Now there were only bodies, plasma scars, and sour-smelling smoke.

Inside the creche was a quiet rustle of children hiding behind chairs and in corners whispering to each other. They fell silent as soon as Ahsoka stepped through the door and stared at her with wide eyes that glinted in the light from the hallway. Ahsoka could feel the Force simmer with fear and confusion. The eldest of the younglings cautiously walked up to her.

“Master Tano?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”

“We’ve heard fighting,” a young Rodian called out.

She saw a lot of nods around the room, and more younglings emerged as they recognized her. Their faces looked so full of innocence that Ahsoka almost couldn’t bring herself to tell them of the darkness that swirled around them.

“Master Windu told us to stay here until he got back,” said a little Twi’lek girl. 

Flashes of Mace falling hit Ahsoka like a speeder. She still thought she could feel the weight of him falling as she tried to hold him with the Force.

“Master Windu’s dead,” she said. “Some of the clone troopers are attacking the Jedi. Master Yoda sent me to get you out of the Temple.” Every word of admittance felt like a blow to her heart. Ahsoka closed her eyes tight, fighting back tears. _ Master Plo’s dead,  _ she silently added. _ Barriss is falling to the dark side, I don’t know where Anakin and Obi-Wan are or if they’re alive. _

A hand suddenly slipped into one of her own, giving it a squeeze. She forced her eyes open to look down at the boy standing by her.

“Master Yoda tells us that we shouldn’t let our emotions rule our decisions,” he said in a Serious Adult voice that would’ve been funny on any other day.

“No, we shouldn’t.” She looked around at the younglings all standing before her like soldiers waiting for an order. “Alright, I want you all to follow me very closely and be very,  _ very _ quiet.” She looked the child still holding her hand. “I need you to be the last one so I can make sure we don’t leave anyone behind. Can you do that?”

The boy nodded solemnly.

In a tight silence, the younglings followed Ahsoka’s instructions to the letter with the unwavering faith of the Jedi, though she was glad they didn’t realize how little she really had planned. Her and Plo’s idea was to get the younglings to a hangar and fly them out of here, but to where? The locations of smoke visible from her flight in immediately ruled out the front entrance and any of the exits on the east side of the Temple, and noise of fighting had ruled out going down to the lower levels. The only safe passage Ahsoka was reasonably sure about meant going back the way she came. Her feet had already been retracing those steps anyway.

But just as she rounded the corner, her worst fears became as real as the squadron of clone troopers walking towards her. Ahsoka threw her arm out to stop the younglings who she could feel huddling behind her in fear. The clones stopped, the clacking of their armor being the only sound in the tense silence, and Ahsoka’s mind ran through every plan of attack that might protect the children. Her lightsabers blazed.

“Wait! Wait stop!” a familiar voice called out from within the group of soldiers. There was some shuffling about before they broke apart to reveal Master Shaak Ti. Ahsoka could’ve almost cried in relief.

“Master Ti!” came some awed whispers from behind Ahsoka.

“Ahsoka, I didn’t expect to see you here,” said Shaak Ti. She gave a small, tight smile. “But I suppose this is the night for unexpected things.”

“Are you alone? What’s happening?” Ahsoka asked.

“There are other Jedi and Padawans here, but we are being overwhelmed,” Shaak Ti said. She shook her head sadly, then something caught her eye. “Is that Master Plo’s lightsaber?”

Ahsoka gently brushed the third ‘saber at her belt. She could still feel some part of Plo Koon there with the weapon, with her. “Yes. He… We fought Grievous. I couldn’t save him.”

“He is with the Force now.” Ti closed her eyes, sorrow crossing her face. “We’ve lost many tonight. Even those who knew what might happen were caught by surprise, and there were enough clones in the Temple… Often times we did not know who to trust until too late. And that was before Grievous came. I’m searching for him now.”

“He’s gone,” Ahsoka said, barely able to keep the shame from her voice. “I saw him head to the roof; he had a ship there.”

“Then there is nothing more I can do,” Ti stated. She looked over Ahsoka’s shoulder at the children and frowned. “We sent other Jedi to retrieve the younglings, but I can only assume they didn’t make it. I’m glad you did; we must get them out of here. After what I’ve seen today, I can’t imagine what was planned for them. Where are you going?”

“I was headed up to the roof too. I thought maybe we’d find a ship up there.”

“Negative, sir,” the lead trooper spoke up. “We’re getting reports of new Republic ships landing there.”

“We must find a ship,  _ that _ I know,” Ti said looking thoughtful. “I have heard nothing of the small hangar at the northwest corner. That may be our best hope.” Ahsoka nodded in agreement.

Master Ti looked back at the troopers. Ahsoka had always admired the level of trust Ti inspired from the men she worked with that few other Jedi could match, and though these weren’t from her battalion they waited for her next order with patience and readiness.

“Go back to Allie and the others,” she ordered. “Help where you can.” She turned back to Ahsoka. “We must get to a ship first; we can figure out our next move then.”

“But that hangar,” Ahsoka remembered, “it has no ships capable of hyperspace.”

“No, but we’ll be able to get away from the Temple,” replied Shaak Ti. “The Force will guide us from there.”

But where? And to what? Who would take parentless children from what would soon be labeled a traitorous organization and a threat to the Republic? 

A person came to Ahsoka’s mind far faster that she’d expected. “I know where we can take them,” she said. 

~~~

Cody stood side by side with Rex in the ship’s bridge and watched Admiral Yularen through his helmet’s viewplate, which he’d put back on the minute Dooku had been walked out of the docking bay. The Admiral was capable and loyal, but Cody had quickly judged the situation the Jedi were about to put them all in and had calculated that he would not be on their side. Cody couldn’t blame him; his position was becoming more unclear each day. The removal of the chip still hadn’t granted him free will - he had repercussions, superiors beyond the Jedi, and life long training.

He watched Rex too, but true to his training the Captain stood still as a mountain, baring no expression on his face. His outburst at Count Dooku had been unexpected, though Cody chalked it up to the time he’d spent with General Skywalker. It was taking him beyond what they were taught as kids and into a realm of excess loyalty, excess passion, and a far greater willingness to take risks that would save more soldiers. To Cody, that was Rex; they weren’t identical.

The trio waited patiently until Generals Kenobi and Skywalker entered the bridge. They looked wary and on edge, and while Kenobi tried to hide it under introspection, Skywalker practically danced on the balls of his feet while keeping his hands behind his back. Cody understood perfectly the reason why they were so tense. 

“Congratulations are in order, I believe,” Yularen spoke first. “Capturing Count Dooku was no easy feat. We should get back to Coruscant as fast as possible to present him before the Senate so he can stand trial for his crimes.”

“I wish that too, Admiral,” Kenobi said, “but we can’t go back to Coruscant yet. Have you contacted anyone there yet?”

“No,” said Yularen with a frown. “Why would we not go back?”

Kenobi’s eyebrows knitted together. “Anakin and I feel something strongly in the Force, something warning us away from Coruscant. We must consult the Jedi Council before proceeding.”

Cody pressed his lips together as he understood. What Kenobi had said was, essentially, true, but it was nothing near the entire truth. Talking about the Force in abstracts that Yularen couldn’t understand was simply a way to buy time.

However, the Admiral wasn’t an easily blindsided man. Cody expected him to accept what the Jedi were telling him now, whether he was fully convinced or not, but the tides would turn the moment news from Coruscant reached them. The clones’ helmets had stayed on in when in view of him, but likely that was enough of a clue itself. 

“We shouldn’t linger by Serenno,” Yularen said.

“No,” agreed Kenobi. “Once this ship is ready, we should jump elsewhere and wait.”

“Ord Cestus?” Skywalker suggested.

The fact that Kenobi didn’t even glance at Skywalker told Cody that they had agreed on this already, though the near invisible frown on Kenobi’s face suggested that he didn’t entirely agree.

Admiral Yularen, at least, seemed on board. “A neutral system, but with a Republic medical station nearby.” He nodded. “I’ll have the coordinates set immediately.”

~~~

The smoke billowing from the Jedi Temple could easily be seen from 500 Republica, where Padmé watched with anxiety. Her certainty that Ani and Obi-Wan were elsewhere gave her only a little peace as their mission was dangerous enough. She wondered who of those in the Temple right now were people she knew, and possibly fighting for their lives. The HoloNews was saying nothing.

With a quiet knock on the door, Captain Typho entered. Padmé had asked him to see if he could find out anything more, but when she turned to face him, he simply shook his head.

“My lady, I suggest we prepare to leave. Many other Senators-”

“Are  _ fleeing _ ,” she cut in. “I am not one of them.”

He gave weary smile. “I had to try. The ship is ready and waiting, Rabé and C-3PO are already aboard, and I’ve made all the arrangements should you change your mind, or should the situation get worse.”

“Thank you. Is there nothing you could learn?”

“Nothing that makes sense. Fear seems to be driving these rumors, though most agree that the Temple is under attack and explosions have gone off. Beyond that… I’ve heard talk of a Jedi rebellion, an attempt on the Chancellor’s life, clone troopers battling Separatist insurgents, a mad beast loose in the Temple and one person even claimed it was Grievous.” Typho shook his head dismissively. “I would not place stock in these rumors without actual evidence.”

But there was almost always some grain of truth in this kind of gossip, Padmé reasoned, and even with Typho’s assurances her stomach turned. She didn’t need the Force to tell her that something was going horribly wrong.

“Let me know when there is,” she said, dismissing him.

“Of course, my lady.”

He left her alone in her room, though she knew there were guards waiting right outside the door. Padmé turned back to the window so she could continue to watch the smoke rise, fiddling with the belt loop of her loose trousers, and allowing her mind to wander through all the scenarios that could be causing what was happening.

But the quiet buzz of a speeder snapped her out of her thoughts. Padmé backed into a dark corner of her room while simultaneously turning to look at the balcony where her intruder was arriving. A small figure with a deep and tall hood leapt off the speeder and slowly began to advance into Padmé’s apartment where she was tip-toeing to the table that held a blaster on the under side. 

“Senator Amidala?” a familiar voice called out. A hand reached up to pull the hood down, revealing the intruder to be none other than Ahsoka Tano. “Padmé?”

With a sigh of relief, Padmé stepped from the shadows. “Ahsoka!” She quickly stepped up to her, and pulled the girl into a hug. “I’m glad to see you.”

“Me too,” Ahsoka replied, though she sounded unsure. 

As Padmé stepped back, she could immediately see the pain in Ahsoka’s eyes, bringing her back to the present state of things. “But why are you here? What’s happening at the Temple?”

Ahsoka gave a cautious look behind her, and in understanding, Padmé drew her further into the room - away from the view of Coruscant.

“The clones,” Ahsoka began, “they all have a chip implanted-”

Remembering what Anakin had told her, Padmé gasped. “That forces them to kill the Jedi! Oh, Ahsoka, tell me they haven’t!”

If Ahsoka was unsure how Padmé knew of the the chips, she didn’t show. “It’s… a massacre,” she whispered. “I went in there to rescue the younglings and… More than half of the clones are fighting the Jedi and the Padawans, and Grievous is there.”

“Who ordered the clones to attack? We could overrule them. Maybe if we get Palpatine to command them-”

“No!” Ahsoka blurted. She grabbed Padmé’s arms. “Padmé, listen to me; Chancellor Palpatine is a Sith Lord. He killed Master Windu and Master Tiin and, and…” A sob broke through her words.

There was nothing Padmé could say, could even  _ think _ . She pulled Ahsoka into her arms. The horror felt overwhelming, that every nightmare she’d had could come true, that everything she’d tried to build could crumble so easily. Padmé wanted to cry - cry for all those people she’d known, that had protected her and kept the Republic’s peace, cry for helping put a monster into power and helping him stay there. But duty didn’t allow her the luxury. She let Ahsoka be the one to pull away, then asked, “Did you get them? The younglings?”

Ahsoka gave a shaky nod. “Yes, they’re in one of the hangars with another Jedi, but there aren’t any hyperspace ships, and we don’t know where to take them, and I was hoping you-- or the Naboo-- could take them or...” Ahsoka broke off with a shrug.

“Of course. They’ll be safe on Naboo,” Padmé said. The political consequences she could worry about later. She pressed a button on the small bracelet she wore, and in little over a minute Captain Typho was walking through the door.

“M’lady?” he said, with a slight frown at Ahsoka.

“I’ve changed my mind about leaving, but I’ll be flying with a few guests.”

“Where are they?” he asked.

“In Hangar 12, at the Jedi Temple,” Ahsoka supplied.

Captain Typho’s frown grew deeper. “I cannot take our ship there, m’lady, not with all the fighting; it’s too dangerous.”

“We can come here,” Ahsoka said.

“Very well,” Typho accepted after a hesitation. 

Ahsoka stepped away from Padmé and gave her a quick nod.

“Be safe,” Padmé replied. She watched as Ahsoka ran to her speeder and shot off into the dark, busy skies of Coruscant.

Padmé took a deep breath, trying to focus her mind away from Palpatine and the Jedi, then turned back to Captain Typho. “Is Senator Organa still on Coruscant?”

Typho nodded. “The Alderaanian ship was still docked last I saw.”

“I need to speak with him. Get the ship ready, I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

Bail’s apartment was the level below hers and a few doors down. After knocking, she had to wait only a few seconds before he answered the door with a worried look painting his face.

“Padmé! Is everything ok?” he asked.

Padmé took a deep breath. “No,” she replied quietly with a glance down the hallway on either side of her. Her voice was shaking. “The Republic is in terrible danger.”

Without a word, Bail stepped away from the door and let her in. Padmé’s shock at the situation they were in rendered her almost unsurprised to see Senators Fang Zar and Mon Mothma in his apartment.

“Am I interrupting something?” Padmé asked, suddenly wary.

Bail opened his mouth to answer, but in his hesitation Mon Mothma spoke: “We were came down here to watch the Temple. It looks awfully like there’s been another bombing.”

Though they were all well schooled politicians, Padmé could read the discomfort across all their faces. “What are you keeping from me?” She was in no mood to dance around secrets.

“We were going to tell her anyway,” Bail argued.

Fang Zar nodded. “Very well. Senator Amidala, we’ve been organizing a document to be signed by a number of senators which would ensure that Chancellor Palpatine would step down once the war is over. There have been many who have expressed concern about his increase in control over the Senate under the guise of emergency powers.”

“It’s our hope that you will sign this document too,” said Mon Mothma.

“Absolutely,” Padmé replied without hesitation. But there was a voice in her mind telling her that it would be meaningless.

“Really?” Zar asked. “I’m sorry, Senator, I wouldn’t doubt your loyalty to the Republic, but I know that you and the Chancellor are well acquainted, almost friendly.”

“I was,” Padmé replied. “But tonight I just learned that Chancellor Palpatine is a Sith Lord.” Silent horror wrapped around the other senators and held them perfectly still, but Padmé continued. “He’s using the clone troopers to murder the Jedi across the galaxy right at this moment and has brought General Grievous down to clear out the Jedi in the Temple.”

As if the realization hit them all at once Fang Zar collapsed onto the nearest chair, Mon Mothma staggered back to clutch a large window pillar, and Bail Organa, though he didn’t move from where he stood, raised a shaking hand to cover his face.

“What can we do?” Zar asked with such despair that the question sounded purely rhetorical. “What can we do?”

“We must inform the Senate and the citizens of the Republic!” Bail said.

“What proof do you have?” Mothma asked.

Padmé shook her head sadly. “The word of the Jedi.” It was not enough, and everyone in the room knew it. All the lies Palpatine had told to get what he wanted - he would not be afraid to tell more. Even weighing the public’s trust in the Chancellor with their trust in the Jedi felt like a losing point.

Fang Zar caught Padmé’s eye. “What can we do?” he asked again, but with more resolve in his voice.

“Well, the Jedi younglings will board my ship any moment now, and I’ll take them back to Naboo.”

“No,” Mon Mothma interrupted. “With the Chancellor being from Naboo, we can’t trust all your people. I’m sorry, Padmé.”

“We’ll take them to Alderaan,” Bail said.

Mothma had a point about Naboo, which concerned her in so many ways. Padmé thinned her lips. “But Alderaan has little military protection.”

“That it isn’t a logical planet works in our favor,” Zar pointed out.

Padmé nodded. “Fine. You should all stay here, to keep up appearances. Tell this to no one.”

“Of course,” Bail replied. “Stay safe.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka follows her instincts. Anakin Skywalker: Won't let you die unless he's the one killing you (thanks snarkwars :P )

To Ahsoka’s relief, the hangar was silent and dark as she touched down inside. As she reached out with the Force, she could feel the younglings and a few Jedi in one of the far ships. She crept quietly towards its open hatch, and as she got closer, a few voice became more distinct. Ahsoka climbed half way into the ship and found herself coming into view of two pairs of feet, positioned so that the owners were in conversation. Looking up Ahsoka recognized Shaak Ti, though couldn’t see past her.

“Master Ti?” Ahsoka asked. “What’s going on?”

Shaak Ti shifted gracefully to face Ahsoka, revealing the other Jedi to be Stass Allie. “Did you find her?” she asked. “Do we have a way off Coruscant?”

“Senator Amidala will take us in her ship to Naboo,” said Ahsoka. “We have to meet her at the 500 Republica’s private docking bay though.”

“Good. It can be done,” said Ti.

“One of us will have to stay behind,” Allie pointed out.

“Why?” Ahsoka asked.

Master Ti tucked her arms up in her robes, and her brows tightened together. “Someone has activated the emergency beacon in the Temple, recalling all Jedi back here.”

Ahsoka looked at them in horror. “But if they come back they’ll be slaughtered!”

“Exactly. We need to turn it off, but that means going back into the Temple.”

“I’ll go,” she said. Her decision went beyond trying to prove herself or mend her relationship with the Council - she felt the call to go back directly from the Force.

“No,” said Allie. “You are no Jedi, Ahsoka.”

“That’s why it should be me,” she replied. “I’ll have a better chance of getting through alive.” The two Jedi traded looks, but before either could speak, Ahsoka was stepping out of the ship again. “I’ll keep you updated over the comm links.”

“Maybe the Force be with you,” she heard Master Ti say, though Ahsoka had already turned away. It was for the best, she knew - the younglings were so important to the survival of the Jedi Order, and they would be much safer in the hands of two Council members than in hers.

After sneaking back into the Temple, Ahsoka began to navigate her way up to the main holocomm center where she knew the recall beacon would be. The colorful sunlight that had streamed through the windows was gone, replaced by shattered glass and the dull luminance of the city outside. Many of the large statues lay toppled and broken like the Jedi that surrounded them. In between the sea of dead troopers were torn robes half covering too small bodies, Ahsoka’s age, younger, older, it didn’t matter. Ahsoka wept freely, unable to restrain herself. Nobody deserved this, least of all the Jedi.

At the comm tower, Ahsoka quickly found where the signal was coming from. She nervously pressed a couple buttons, first to stop the current transmission, then to reverse its recall. A hologram jumped up in front of her - it was of herself. Ahsoka took a deep breath, shifting her feet and watched as the hologram mirrored her. It was clear the beacon wanted her to record a message.

“This is Ahsoka Tano,” she said, then hesitated. She felt in no position to order any Jedi anywhere. She was no longer a part of them - why should they trust her? Ahsoka shook her head imperceptibly. It didn’t matter. She had to get the message out. “The Temple has been taken. Order 66 has been enacted. Do not return here. You can’t trust the clones, or Chancellor Palpatine.” She took a deep breath. Did she say that he was a Sith Lord? Should she tell whoever was listening where they could find-

Instinct through the Force was what brought Ahsoka’s lightsaber up just in time to counter the red one that was striking down at her. Barriss had escaped her bonds. It was likely she who had activated the beacon.

Sparks from Barriss’s lightsabers flew as Ahsoka deflected them down to strike one of the control panels in the circular room. Barriss dashed at her, trying to run her through with the points, but Ahsoka parried them without much effort. It suddenly became clear to Ahsoka that Barriss’s fighting wasn’t the same as before; it was damn near  _ sloppy _ , as if neither her heart nor her focus were really there.

It was a risk, but as Barriss stepped back to gather herself up, Ahsoka stowed her lightsaber and held up her hands. Through the Force she ended the holo and sent out the partial message. “I don’t want to fight you,” she said.

Barriss crouched slightly, a scowl on her face, and her lightsabers held in place. “I can’t let you leave here alive,” she snarled.

Ahsoka watched as her friend paced ferally in front of her. Was it too late? Was she too far gone to save? “You won’t kill me,” she said with more confidence in her voice than what she felt.

Barriss stopped. She stood, stock still, perfectly unmoving, then with no warning her lightsabers flicked off and she half crumpled. A sob echoed around the room. Without thinking Ahsoka rushed forward, reaching out to catch her friend, but before she came close Barriss jumped back and brought her lightsaber hilts up to block Ahsoka’s path.

“Don’t touch me!” Barriss spat. Tears glistened in her eyes. “What? Do you think you can  _ save  _ me?” Her mocking voice felt like a slap.

“I can’t stand to see you like this,” Ahsoka whispered.

“Get used to it.”

Ahsoka could feel grief through the Force, mingled with frustration and defeat. She’d felt these emotions too, and recently. But she was also beginning to feel an undercurrent in the Force that wanted to drag her along its path. 

“No,” she said with finality. “I’m gonna help you.”

Barriss pulled a shuddering breath through her lungs and wiped away the tears that had spilled down her cheeks. “Why would you ever want to do that?” she asked suspiciously.

“Because I have to be able to believe that it’s possible to come back from darkness,” Ahsoka answered, allowing her emotions to seep into her voice. “I once knew a girl who I was friends with, who stayed with me when I drank that stupid Ipellrilla firewater even after she’d told me not to, who memorized every single tunnel in a Geonosian base because of her dedication, who would rather die than hurt others. A girl who I looked up to. Where is she now?”

Barriss’s face twisted into something barely recognizable . “The war chewed her up and spit her out,” she said bitterly.

“The war is over now, or it will be soon. We can find her again,” Ahsoka pleaded.

Barriss looked away, and when she spoke again, her voice was quiet but nearly sounded like the Barriss Ahsoka had known. “I don’t know if she still exists.”

Seeing her chance, Ahsoka offered her hand. After some hesitation, Barriss stowed her lightsabers and reached out to take it. It was the first step, though Ahsoka barely let herself release the breath she’d been holding.

“I have to get back to the 500 Republica building,” she said as she helped Barriss to her feet. She needed to tell Master Ti that the job was done, though there was something in the Force that told her she would not leave with them.

“How?”

Her speeder seemed like a long way from here, but Ahsoka had another idea. “I can find transport from the roof, we just have to get down there. Follow me.”

~~~

There was no argument that Barriss should stay on the ship that Ahsoka and Master Plo had come to Coruscant on while Ahsoka talked to Master Ti. Ahsoka couldn’t deny that the thought of Barriss stealing the ship and leaving had crossed her mind, but she felt a certain sense of trust and guidance by the Force that it wouldn’t happen.

Padmé and Captain Typho were the only ones visibly waiting for her. They lead her up the ship’s ramp where Ti and Allie were waiting.

“You did it,” Master Ti stated, and when Ahsoka nodded she continued, “good, then we can leave now.”

“I’m not coming,” Ahsoka said.

“What?” blurted Padmé. “Were will you go? You can’t stay on Coruscant.”

“I’m not. I think I…” Despite the the confusion of everyone around her, Ahsoka felt almost at peace for the first time in a while. She opened herself to the Force and it gave her an answer almost immediately. “I need to go back to Cato Neimoidia. And then I’m going to find Grievous.”

“Do you seek revenge for Master Plo’s death?” Allie asked.

“No,” said Ahsoka honestly. “It’s just something that needs to be done.”

“Come back to Alderaan when you’ve found him,” Padmé said, reaching up to put her hand on Ahsoka’s arm. “We’ll be waiting there for you. Be safe.”

“I do not think this idea is wise,” Ti said sternly. “Taking Grievous on alone is folly, and I sense there are some other things at play.” Ti glanced in the direction of Ahsoka’s ship where Barriss was, and Ahsoka had to fight to keep her expression neutral. “But as you are no longer a part of the Order, it is not my decision to make. Be mindful of your actions, Ahsoka, and may the Force be with you.”

“And with all of you,” Ahsoka replied.

Barriss was still waiting in the ship when Ahsoka boarded it again. She watched with cold eyes as Ahsoka climbed into the pilot’s seat, but her voice was soft and undefiant as she spoke, “Where are we going now?”

“Cato Neimoidia,” Ahsoka replied. “There’s some clones who need our help.”

“And where next?”

“Do you know where Grievous is?” she asked with a shrug.

“Utapau,” Barriss answered dispassionately.

Ahsoka blinked in surprise. Her question had been so half flippant that she hadn’t expected an actual answer. She smiled to herself, quietly thanking the Force.

“Then that’s where we’re going next.”

~~~

In meditation, Obi-Wan was the  _ Resolute _ . He was its hyperdrive, its ventilators, its shield generators, its every single bolt and screw. Though this was not what he wanted to be. The mechanical was Anakin’s department - where everything went as he wanted and if it didn’t he’d fix it. He was the Maker. 

Obi-Wan, however, despite all that Qui-Gon had chided him for as a Padawan, was far more in tune with the organic. Aboard the Resolute he was every single commando, captain, and admiral. All flickers in emotion, changes in mood, decisions made, breaths and heartbeats were cataloged within him to be used, pressured, or beguiled. He was the Negotiator.

He let himself drift away from the Resolute and towards the medical facility by Ord Cestus. There were more than just clones in here, and Anakin’s wish to go in to rescue them was foolhardy. Obi-Wan could see the logic in it - though he doubted Anakin wanted to go in for logical reasons - as they could easily remove chips from the clone troopers in here and reclaim them from the clutches of the Supreme Chancellor. But the ‘how’ would be difficult to say the least.

Somewhere inside Obi-Wan’s great expansion, the Force vibrated. It wasn’t necessarily uncommon, and most often it was felt when one was particularly in tune with a mechanical device. However, these vibrations seemed to be coming directly from Obi-Wan himself. Some part of his mind sought out the source, yet some part of him knew already. He opened his eyes, bringing himself back inward with a sense of singular focus that he turned to the small device hidden deep in the folds of his robes.

This was the second time the emergency beacon had gone off in the span of an hour. But the first time, the message carried was simply an encrypted code commanding all Jedi to return to the Temple. Now the device showed that it was carrying a hologram recording. Curious, though almost in the way one is when watching starfighter fall into enemy fire, Obi-Wan let the message play.

Immediately a blue, flickering Ahsoka jumped up in front of him, and Obi-Wan’s heart dropped. He stepped back into the Force just in time to feel a similar reaction in another part of the ship. Obi-Wan hardly heard what Ahsoka was saying - he had jumped up from his sitting position and was following the Force to Anakin.

They met just before reaching the entrance to the bridge. Obi-Wan grabbed Anakin’s arm, turning him so they were face to face. They stood in a tense silence, and Obi-Wan emanated through the Force a counterbalance of peace to the void of chaotic emotion that whirled where Anakin should’ve been. It was nothing he thought he could put into words. Eventually he felt Anakin sigh, both physically and within the Force, though he still broke his arm free from Obi-Wan’s grip.

“We cannot go back to Coruscant,” Obi-Wan reasoned.

“Do you expect me to cower and hide?”

Obi-Wan pressed his lips together. “These are not odds we can beat.”

Tears welled in Anakin’s eyes, though he raised his chin, staring down at Obi-Wan with a wild intensity. “I can.”

“And what would you do? Cut through every chipped clone for one person?”

Though only sensed through the Force, a fire burned inside of Anakin, and for a moment Obi-Wan thought he’d say that he would.

“No, master,” Anakin finally said, the tension dropping from his shoulders. “I feel so helpless.”

“We will act,” Obi-Wan promised. “When the time is right.” A dull glaze appeared in Anakin’s eyes, and not for the first time Obi-Wan wished he had some other reassurance. Even for all he taught of letting go of attachment, the pain of keeping away while the Order was decimated was nearly too overwhelming for Obi-Wan.

He had said as much to Yoda after finally hailing him over a comm link. The old master had always played into his age, hobbling with a gimer stick only jump up with a flip and brandish his lightsaber, but as he had walked into view of the holo, he really looked like the effort it was taking him was not an illusion. Obi-Wan had noted that his lightsaber was missing.

What Yoda had told him in return had almost been too much to believe. That the Republic had been lost for thirteen years already without anyone knowing was a blow that no one could’ve perceived. Obi-Wan had asked to come back to Coruscant, to pit the Chosen One against this new Sith, but Yoda schooled patience, as only one who was 800 years old could.

Which was why Obi-Wan now schooled the same to Anakin. “We have other matters to deal with,” he said.

But just as he was about to elaborate, the door to the bridge opened. Admiral Yularen stood there with a wary look on his face. The small handful of men he’d brought who weren’t clones surrounded him, all watching the two Jedi with expressions varying from mild concern to open terror. Obi-Wan took a deep breath. He hoped they could resolve this peacefully.

Behind Obi-Wan and Anakin came the sound of a dozen clacking suits of armor. The looks on Yularen and his men showed sudden relief, and Obi-Wan noted a smirk pass over Anakin’s face. They allowed the group of clones to lead them into the bridge to face Yularen.

“I’ve just contacted Coruscant,” the Admiral said, “and have learned that the Jedi have been declared traitors to be killed on sight. However, I was then given different orders. I am to have you killed, Kenobi, and Skywalker arrested.”

Anakin’s lightsaber suddenly blazed in his hand. “If you think you’ll kill him with me around, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“You’re right, I would be a fool to try and kill either of you. You know, I’ve always wondered why there were multiple containment fields installed in this ship. I guess someone out there already knew that the Jedi would betray us.”

“They’ve set us up, Admiral,” said Obi-Wan.

“Then I will learn the truth in due time. But right now, you are greatly outnumbered.” He looked to the clones. “Troopers, please arrest these Jedi and remove them to the detention block.”

None of the troopers made any move. Instead, one-by-one they all removed their helmets to show their identical scars.

“We don’t answer to your command, sir,” Rex replied.

Suddenly realizing the complete lack of control he had, Yularen scowled deeply. “They warned me that some of you clones may be corrupted. Have the Jedi made you traitors to the Republic?”

“The Senate is in control of a Sith Lord,” Obi-Wan informed him. He didn’t want to say it was Chancellor Palpatine, as Yoda had told him, before he’d talked to Anakin about it first.

Yularen shook his head. “How can you expect me to believe that?”

“Admiral, I don’t want to harm you.” Obi-Wan held out a hand, motioning to Anakin to put his lightsaber away. “I understand how difficult this must be, and I will not resent your choice if it be to follow orders given by the Republic military that seems to no longer include the Jedi. However, I will put you in the prison block if I think you’ll be a danger to us and this ship.”

The Admiral straightened up as if determined to remain dignified. “I serve the Republic, General Kenobi. Not you.”

“Very well. Don’t resist, Admiral. It would only go badly for you.”

Obi-Wan and the clone troopers advanced further onto the bridge, collecting Yularen and his men. With his hand on Yularen’s shoulder, Obi-Wan walked him out. As he past Anakin, he paused.

“Stay here, I’ll deal with this,” Obi-Wan told him. “Is there some way you can contact Ahsoka?”

“I think so.”

Obi-Wan nodded, becoming slightly distracted with all he learned from Yoda. “We need to talk when I return.”

~~~

The first thing Ahsoka did after piloting the ship out of the busy Coruscant skies and setting a course back to Cato Neimoidia was comm Anakin. She had turned the radius of the holoscan down knowing that he likely wouldn’t appreciate that she was currently sitting next to the main reason she was no longer his Padawan.

It took a couple tries, but suddenly Anakin flickered in front of her. His face was screwed up in anger and something else that she couldn’t pin down before it was gone. When he saw her, he let out a heavy sigh of relief.

“Ahsoka! I’ve been trying to comm you but…”

“I’m here, are you ok?”

“Me? I’m fine - how are you?”

Ahsoka took a deep breath. “Alive.” The look crossed Anakin’s face again, and suddenly she understood; it was guilt.

“I should’ve known, I-” he began, then paused, his eyes flicking over to something off screen. After a few seconds Obi-Wan walked into her view to stand by Anakin. He turned to look at her slowly, with his hands behind his back.

Two years spent with Anakin meant the better part of two years spent with Obi-Wan too, and she had learned a few things about him. It wasn’t as though Obi-Wan never allowed his emotions to show - he made a terrible sabacc player - it was just that Ahsoka had learned how to read the micro expressions underneath. Like the mischievous pride under the sternness he put on to scold Anakin for one of his more hair-brained schemes, or the excitement for battle that hid under the calm facade of the negotiator. But as she watched him through the hologram, she only saw the sad under the weary.

“Ahsoka,” he said with a genuine but short lasting smile. “I’m happy to see you’re ok.”

“We saw your message,” Anakin broke in. “Where are you?”

“I just left Coruscant,” Ahsoka answered. She opened her mouth to tell them more, but where did she start? “Grievous got into the Temple. Master Ti and I got the younglings - she’s taking them to Alderaan. There was still fighting when we left -  with the clones; Grievous had retreated.”

“Who gave the order to the clones?” Anakin asked.

“Chancellor Palpatine-”

“What?” he blurted out.

“He’s the Sith Lord!” Ahsoka said.

“No!” Anakin snapped. He turned away, pushing his fingers harshly through his hair. “No, it can’t be!”

“He killed Master Windu and Master Tiin.” Ahsoka shook her head, blinking back tears that had welled with the memory. “We left Master Yoda to fight him, but…” She had tried not to let herself get distracted by the thought of their battle, but she had expected that if Yoda had defeated Palpatine she would’ve felt some release of darkness through the Force. Instead, it almost felt darker.

“Master Yoda didn’t succeed,” Obi-Wan confirmed quietly. “He barely made it out alive.”

Anakin had been staring at something in the distance as if he was willing himself not to hear, but now he rounded on Obi-Wan. “You knew? When did you talk to Yoda? Why didn’t you tell me?” Something out of Ahsoka’s view crunched.

“Control your emotions,” Obi-Wan said firmly. “I talked to him just before we got Ahsoka’s message, and I was going to tell you after I’d dealt with Yularen.”

Ahsoka had seen Anakin get angry before - angrier than what would befit most Jedi - but now with eyes wild and fists clenched in front of him he appeared to be on the edge of a full meltdown. She was glad Obi-Wan was there with him and not herself; he at least had some chance of talking him down.

“We have to go to Coruscant!” he yelled. “I know I’m strong enough. If I fight him, I’ll win! That’s what your precious prophecy is all about, isn’t it?”

“No, Anakin-” said Obi-Wan calmly.

“You think I’m not ready?” Anakin’s voice was slowly raising pitch. “I’m more powerful than anyone on the Council, a better swordsman and a better pilot, but you’re all afraid of me!”

“Anakin!” Obi-Wan said with more authority. “Mind your pride before it gets us all killed. I do believe you’re ready, but your emotions would have us charge in there without a plan. Do you expect the Republic would take kindly to us just waltzing in and assassinating the Chancellor?” Obi-Wan paused to study Anakin, who did at least appear more in control now. “Besides, would you abandon Ord Cestus so quickly?” he asked.

“It won’t matter when he’s dead,” said Anakin.

“Ord Cestus?” Ahsoka interrupted.

“We need to free the clone troopers from the Republic’s control!” Anakin snapped, then with a glance at Obi-Wan, he levelled his voice. “With their chips they’re a danger to any Jedi.”

“We’ll need as much help as we can get dealing with Sidious,” said Obi-Wan. “Especially if we have to take this fight to Coruscant.”

Ahsoka nodded. “We should help them, as much as we can; we owe them that much.” She thought of Wolffe and how she’d have to tell him what happened. “Master Plo would’ve wanted the same,” she said. It didn’t take them long to pick up her use of past tense.

“Ahsoka,” Anakin murmured, his eyes full of pity.

She cut him off, unable to bear him looking at her like that. “Grievous…” she started, but her voice caught in her throat. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Barriss’s hand flex as if she wanted to reach out, only to be crushed by their desire for secrecy. Or Barriss’s continued antagonism towards Ahsoka - she couldn’t be sure. Either way, she found her voice again. “We’ll still have to deal with him and the Separatists. What about Dooku?”

“We have him on board,” Obi-Wan answered. “I don’t believe the Separatists will be much of a problem without him.”

“Grievous though…” Anakin said.

“We don’t know where he’s hiding,” Obi-Wan pointed out.

Ahsoka opened her mouth to tell them what she knew, but some feeling in the Force stopped her. Instead she said, “I think you should deal with Palpatine first - he’s a far greater threat. If you go to Alderaan, there’ll be more Jedi there.”

“Why Alderaan?” asked Obi-Wan.

“I don’t know. When the younglings were boarding Padmé’s ship that’s what she told me.”

“Padmé?” Anakin blurted loudly, his full attention suddenly locking back on her.

“Yeah, I needed help from someone outside the Order, and I knew I could trust her,” Ahsoka answered.

There was a scowl on Anakin’s face, but Ahsoka read something else there too that looked like worry. She had always guessed at something more going on between those two.

“We’ll meet you on Alderaan then,” said Obi-Wan with a glance at Anakin.

“I won’t be there… right away.” Ahsoka had to consciously will herself not to look at Barriss. “I’ve got some other things to deal with first.”

“More important than this?” Anakin asked with an edge to his voice.

“I’m working towards the same goal you are,” Ahsoka said, impatience creeping into her voice.

Anakin sighed. “I know, I’m sorry.” He watched her carefully for a moment, then blinked and nodded. “Be safe, Snips.”

“May the Force be with you,” added Obi-Wan.

“And with both of you,” Ahsoka replied before ending the call.

A static silence filled the cabin after the holo blinked out. Ahsoka checked the ship’s readouts, almost consciously trying to ignore her copilot. 

“If they’re the hope of the galaxy, we’re doomed,” Barriss muttered.

Ahsoka poked at a control button harder than she needed to. “They’re the best men I know.”

Barriss scoffed. “Skywalker is everything a Jedi shouldn’t be, and Kenobi is…” She hesitated, as if actually having to think of something. “Well, he’s blind to it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters 8 and 9 are currently unfinished, though I have a large amount written and a decent amount planned. As for beyond that? *shrug emoji*


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saviors, sass, and sweetness.

Anakin itched at the tight neck of his borrowed clone armor. He glanced over at Obi-Wan who, in being of a similar size to Jango Fett, was having a much easier time. That alone was enough to test Anakin’s patience.

“Do stop fidgeting, Anakin; you’ll only draw attention to us,” Obi-Wan said, his Coruscanti accent coming through heavily.

“As if the fact that we’re taller than usual won’t already draw enough attention,” Anakin muttered.

“A double take is a split second longer to react than what we’d have in Jedi robes,” Obi-Wan repeated.

Anakin huffed but forced his hand away from his neck and didn’t counter again. They stood face to face aboard a transport ship headed to the Ord Cestus Medical Facility and surrounded by clone troopers.

“You do stand out like an Twi’lek in a canopy of Ewoks,” Rex said from around Anakin’s shoulder. “To us, anyway.”

“Don’t encourage him, Rex,” Obi-Wan deadpanned. 

Anakin couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes. 

“If you’re going to start that,” Obi-Wan said, “you’d better put your helmet on.” He pushed his down onto his head in mock demonstration, and the vocoder instantly muted his voice into something only recognizable through his accent. “See, you have no idea of the faces I could be making at any given moment.”

“Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea,” Anakin said with a smirk. He gave his helmet a look of disgust before putting it on; he hated how dehumanizing the vocoder felt. The tinny, hollow voice that came out didn’t feel like him at all. “Great, now I can roll my eyes without you knowing whenever I want.”

“Well,” said Obi-Wan in a such a sarcastic tone that cut right through his helmet, “I think I’ll have a pretty good idea when you do.”

Anakin smiled to himself, and through all the layers of plastoid armor he thought he could see Obi-Wan smiling too.

A slight jolt as the craft docked brought them back to the present. The doors of the airlock began to whir and clank as they connected to the medical base.

“Efficiency is the name of the game, boys,” Rex yelled over the noise. “All blasters set to stun; this is a rescue mission.” He looked over at Anakin, who nodded.

“Obi-Wan and I are only sticking around until we’re sure this is all under control,” Anakin told them. “Kix, Blues, Seds, Tal stay close to us, and we’ll get you set up,” he added. “Then we’ll need to find and free the other medics first.”

“Sir, what if they can’t operate well enough right after their own chip removal?” asked Blues.

“Hit ‘em with a couple stim-shots, that’ll keep them on their feet,” Kix yelled, just as the doors were opening. Anakin wasn’t entirely sure if he was joking or not.

~~~

The mission went quickly, but Anakin felt as though every second dragged. He thought he’d feel differently for freeing the clones, lighter, more just, but that they’d only end up fighting to regain control of the Republic ruined the effect.

So instead, as he sat on the stealth ship once again with Dooku in the hold, he tried to think of Padmé and how close he was to being able to see her again. It felt different, now, seeing her face in his mind, as if some weight of secrecy was slipping off his memories of her. He glanced over at Obi-Wan in the seat next to him and for a split second imagined telling him about his wife. What would the Jedi Council do now - kick him out of the Order? There was hardly an Order to be kicked out of. But the moment passed as the imagined scene began to bring Anakin images of Obi-Wan feeling betrayed and disappointed in him.

It was growing dark when they got to Alderaan, which was for the best. Still, Anakin had turned on the cloaking device once they’d dropped out of hyperspace. Landing an invisible ship was nothing to him. He had, however, left on enough systems to be able to receive an encrypted message from the surface, giving him the coordinates of a more secretive location than the main palace.

Though the gusts of air from the ship had blown the handful of people waiting for them on the dock, Anakin could still see a few jaws drop as the engine shut down, killing the cloaking device. Once face in crowd captured him in particular and sent a rush through his heart; Padmé was here. She was safe. He jumped up from his chair, but as he turned to the ship’s door, his eyes fell upon Dooku.

Obi-Wan rose behind him, and together they walked over to the Sith Lord sitting cross-legged on the floor. He watched them with angry, red eyes, then stood, somewhat ungracefully without his arms to balance him. Wordlessly Obi-Wan and Anakin flanked him, guiding him off the ship.

The party waiting for them consisted of Shaak Ti, Stass Allie, Padmé, C-3PO, Breha Organa, and a couple household guards. All eyes were on Dooku, except Padmé’s which had not left Anakin the moment he’d stepped off the ship. Needless to say, he had not looked away from her. She was easily the smallest in the crowd, but that only meant that all faces framed hers in a halo of varying emotions. Anakin hardly felt his feet move as he walked towards her.

Breha was the first to speak. “Master Kenobi, Skywalker, may Alderaan be a safe haven for you in these dark times.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Obi-Wan replied. Hardly trusting his voice, Anakin made a short but gracious bow, as if deferring to Obi-Wan.

“We’ve made preparations for Dooku to be held in the vaults underground,” she said.

“There will be a Jedi guard at all times,” Ti added.

“How many are here?” Anakin finally spoke, unable to keep some of the roughness out of his voice. 

“A few more everyday,” Ti replied.

“How many do you think survived?” Obi-Wan asked.

Allie and Ti exchanged looks. “It’s hard to say with so many of us spread so far across the galaxy,” Allie said. “We helped many leave the Temple, knowing the clones would overwhelm us, though a few chose to stay. Too many died in the immediate attack.”

“Perhaps,” Padmé began, and Anakin instantly felt his knees weaken, “we should continue this conversation later. She gave a meaningful look towards Dooku, though he seemed strangely unaware of any of them. The other Jedi nodded quietly.

Breha turned to address Obi-Wan and Anakin. “In that case, I’ve had rooms made up for the both of you, as I’m sure you must be exhausted,” she said. She made a faint gesture and suddenly a young girl dressed in a neat livery with Organa’s crest appeared by her side. “One of our maids will show you where they are.”

Anakin nodded gratefully, but Obi-Wan seemed disinterested. “I’ll rather go with Ti and Allie down to the vaults, if that’s ok.”

Not hearing much more of what was said, Anakin spared one last glance at Padmé before he left the group. Her eyes flickered up to his with a small wink that went unnoticed by all except him. A fluttering feeling swept underneath his ribs, and he smiled, turning back to follow Queen Breha’s maid to what would be a shortly occupied room.

~~~

The heavy but ornate vault door closed behind Obi-Wan with a surprisingly quiet  _ click _ , and he was left alone with Dooku in the old Sith’s new prison. The silvery walls, floor, and ceiling were imperfect mirrors, enough to show a reflection but only one of a distorted image. Interrupting the endless metal was a small, makeshift bed, four holocams, two tiny vents - not even big enough for a mouse droid, and a hastily assembled toilet.

While Obi-Wan remained by the door, taking all this in, Dooku strode over to the farthest wall away from him and didn’t turn around.

“You’ve been very quiet, Dooku; is this not going how you expected?” Obi-Wan asked, resisting the urge to shiver as he heard his voice bounce unusually around the room. When Dooku didn’t reply, he continued. “Did you think that you’d watch Sidious rise to power, then kill him and take his place? Did you believe that you might rule the galaxy together?” He frowned at his grandmaster’s back. “Or were you foolish enough to believe that he would just let you leave, let you hide out and live the rest of your days in peace?”

Clasping his hands under his robes and rubbing the spot where the clone armor had chafed his wrists, Obi-Wan waited for an answer. He was unsurprised when none came, and with no further movement from Dooku, he tried a different tactic.

“I suppose I must apologize for my old Padawan’s removal of both your arms. It was impulsive, though I expect that under strict orders not to kill you he felt there was only a few options. Payback is never the Jedi way, but I understand his instinct not to leave any ambidextrous ability unaccounted for.” Obi-Wan could see Dooku’s shoulders rising in tension, and he decided to make the last jab. “Of course, Anakin learned to work with his mechanical arm easily enough, and with two you may be faster and stronger than-”

“I will not be sub-human!” Dooku finally snapped, twisting around with a squeal from the metal beneath his feet, and his eyes blazing a fiery red. “What do you want, Kenobi? It is not the Jedi way to taunt a prisoner.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t help the stab of pain he felt in his chest. “What would you know of the Jedi way, Dooku? You’ve just tried to have us all eradicated.”

“I only sped up what you already had coming.”

“From whose point of view? The Sith’s?” Obi-Wan had to refrain from rolling his eyes. “Of course they would believe the Jedi should die - they’re Sith.”

“The Jedi are no longer a beacon of light; they’re controlled by the Senate that’s in the pocket of the greatest evil of this age.”

“An evil power which you’ve done nothing to stop!”

“He had knowledge that I did not. That the Jedi did not!”

“If you say the Council was wrong for their inaction and complacency then you are no better than them.”

“I was not blind like they are!”

“But whatever point you set out to prove, you were corrupted by the dark side.” Obi-Wan hesitated, watching Dooku with as an intense gaze as Dooku was watching him with. “What did you hope to gain by supporting Sidious?” he finally asked. “The destruction of the Jedi? Power over the Republic?”

“This and more. I wanted to show the Council how flawed they were. To prove they were wrong about what they’d  _ ignored _ me telling them. But most of all, I wanted everything the Jedi couldn’t give me.” Dooku narrowed his eyes, and Obi-Wan could almost feel them piercing through his body. “You  _ know _ , Kenobi. The Order put you within reach of everything you’ve ever wanted then said: ‘Do not take this.’”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “All I’ve ever wanted is to be a Jedi, to be a part of the Force, to help those in need.” Though while his mouth finished speaking the words, his brain tried to continue with an ‘and’, as if something was missing there. Obi-Wan frowned inwardly, unable to pinpoint the exact flaw in his statement.

But with a triumphant voice, Dooku picked it up instantly. “Liar,” he said. “I know you want more than that.”

“I am not hungry for power like you are,” Obi-Wan dismissed.

“I’m not talking about power. I’m talking about  _ him _ . The Chosen One.”

Somehow, Obi-Wan stopped himself from flinching from Dooku’s words, though they caused a sharp pain in his mind as the words snapped into place:  _ All I’ve ever wanted is to be a Jedi, to be a part of the Force, to help those in need... and to be with Anakin. _

“I saw the two of you on the ship,” Dooku continued with a thinly veiled sneer. “Obi-Wan: the perfect Jedi, and yet still you let yourself be clouded by your emotions for the boy.” His lips curled around the word ‘boy’ and he let it drip with contempt.

“Ah, Dooku,” Obi-Wan chided, though he could feel his defenses rising. “You project your lack of compassion and willingness to be ostracized. What a sad life you must live.”

“Not as sad as yours, I think. In love with a pathetic, willful child.”

Obi-Wan’s heart beat faster as he felt the ghost of lips on his from the day Anakin took his trials. But with a deep breath, he took control of his emotions again and tucked that memory safely away in his head.“Well, I think if we’ve been reduced to throwing petty barbs then this conversation is over. I hope we don’t have to speak again.” He turned away to give the signal to the guard on the other side of the cameras.

But Count Dooku wasn’t done. “He’s a stain on your reputation. Yours and the Jedi’s.” With finally a semblance of the old condescension he used to have, he chuckled. “Well, what’s left of them.”

His fists curled in anticipation of the rage that Dooku’s words should’ve brought him, but all that came was a wave of sadness that made Obi-Wan’s shoulders rise instinctively.

“Are you angry Obi-Wan?” Dooku asked, clearly misreading. “Can you feel it rushing through you?”

Obi-Wan didn’t bother to face the Sith again, and instead answered dully, “No, Dooku, not angry. Just disappointed.” He paused, then made his voice a little firmer. “I’m disappointed for Qui-Gon; he always spoke highly of you.”

Obi-Wan could feel Dooku’s sneer deepen as he asked to be let out, but this time the conversation was over, as a stillness settled over Dooku, and he supplied no more taunting words.

~~~

Padmé stood facing the door, with one hand held by her throat, worrying the japor snippet around her neck. She wondered how long it would take for him to come find her, to hear his voice telling her it would be alright, to feel his arms around her once more. The expression he’d worn as he walked down from that ship concerned her more than she’d like to think about, as if something dark was following him close behind.

Her heart beat so loudly that she didn’t hear the footsteps behind her. But when a gentle hand brushed her neck, she didn’t jump or flinch.

“Oh, Anakin,” she said, turning around and pressing her face to his chest. Wrapping her arms around him, she breathed in the husky, metallic smell on his robes.

“I was so worried about you,” he murmured into her hair.

“About me? You’re the one that half the galaxy is after!”

“I would fight them all off, every single one.” He sounded fierce, even as he gently rubbed circles on her back. “I can protect myself. But I can’t do anything for you when you’re on a different planet.”

“Luckily I can take care of myself,” she whispered.

He pulled just far enough away to look her in the eye. “This isn’t funny,” he said with a frown.

“I’m not laughing,” she answered calmly.

Though he continued to watch her, his eyes seemed distant and haunted, as if too many things were going on in his mind all at once.

“Anakin?” she asked.

He blinked, then focused back in on her. “You’re right, I’m sorry.” He gave her a roguish smile. “You’re  _ very _ capable with a blaster.”

“I thought you said this wasn’t funny,” she chided. His smile widened, but she barely saw it as he leant down to kiss her. She pressed herself closer to him, moving her hand up to run through his hair, and his arms tightened around her as if in a desperation not to ever let go. 

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. She gave a start, and Anakin jumped back from her as if shocked, though his face then darkened with shame. When C-3PO entered, he gave a resigned sigh and moved to sit on the couch.

“Oh! My apologies, Mistress Padmé! I didn’t realize I was interrupting something,” Threepio said.

“It’s fine, Threepio,” replied Padmé. “Just tell me what you’re here for.”

“Ah, yes, of course. Master Kenobi is outside waiting to speak with you,” he answered.

Padmé glanced at Anakin who shrugged. “Just a moment,” she said.

She sat on the edge of her bed, picking a spot away from Anakin and smoothing her skirts against the sheets, then promptly sprung up to look out the window instead. She glanced at Anakin on the couch, and when he gave a nod she whispered to Threepio, “Send him in, then leave us, please.”

“Oh! I suppose… Right away!” Threepio answered as he turned away to open the door.

Obi-Wan gave Anakin a furrowed glance as he walked in. “There you are, Anakin. I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Padmé turned smoothly away from the window. “He just stopped by to ask me some more questions about the night I left Coruscant.” It was only half a lie, but Padmé regretted it almost as soon as it came out of her mouth. She respected Obi-Wan,  _ liked _ him even, more than she admitted to anyone, and it turned her stomach to be dishonest to him. But even with the tenuousity of the Jedi’s place in the Galaxy, she would never betray Anakin.

“Yes, Senator, I wanted to do the same,” said Obi-Wan, apparently accepting the excuse with no questions. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Master Obi-Wan,” Anakin cut in, and Padmé had to suppress a smile; he always sounded extra formal when he was trying to defer someone’s attention. “Maybe we should let her rest after her ordeal. I can tell you everything she told me.”

Padmé stopped herself from agreeing so she could be alone with Anakin again, and instead said, “I appreciate your concern, Anakin, but it’s no trouble, really.”

A look of hurt and confusion flickered over Anakin’s face which Padmé saw, though it seemed to go unnoticed by Obi-Wan. He asked her if he could sit, and she again had to suppress another smile. She wished more senators had his genuine manners.

“Can you tell me what happened that night?” he asked.

With a deep breath, Padmé launched into her story, starting from when she first saw smoke from the Temple, telling them what the holonews had been saying, and ending with watching Ahsoka leave after she’d boarded her ship.

“Did she say where she was going?” Anakin asked.

“She said Cato Neimoidia, but then she said something about finding Grievous.”

“Grievous?” Anakin exclaimed. “And Ti just let her go?”

“She advised Ahsoka not to, but there’s not much more she can do than that.”

“She could’ve bundled her up and locked her on board the ship.”

“Is that what you would’ve done?” Obi-Wan asked wryly.

Anakin scowled. “Maybe,” he muttered.

“Well I can certainly empathise with wanting your old Padawan to do what  _ you _ want them to,” Obi-Wan replied, “but there’s almost never a good way to stop them from rushing off on foolhardy missions after they’ve set their minds on something.”

Anakin gave him a look of enduring impatience, and Padmé knew she had to interrupt before this turned into one of their typical verbal sparring sessions.

“I think she wanted to hide something from Master Ti and Allie,” she said, then waited until their gazes drifted away from each other and back up to her. “Maybe I’ve been in politics too long, but the way she was acting I would’ve thought that she’d picked up something in her ship. Or someone.”

“Perhaps she found another Jedi to accompany her,” Obi-Wan suggested.

“I don’t know when I’ll next talk to her,” Anakin said. “But if it was something important surely she’d’ve told us, right?”

Obi-Wan nodded, though it seemed noncommittal. “Master Ti might know,” he said absently. But then he turned to look up at Padmé as if his thoughts had snapped back into something more definable. “If you have nothing more to tell me, I think I’ll go find her.”

Padmé shook her head. “Nothing right now.”

Obi-Wan moved as if to get up, then paused as he noticed his former Padawan had not copied him. “Anakin, are you coming?” 

Anakin’s eyes went a little wider, and he glanced up at Padmé who quickly supplied, “If you don’t need him, I have a few things I’d still like to discuss.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow as he looked back at Padmé, trying to read her intentions. She had to make a conscious effort to keep breathing under his intense gaze, but after only a second he simply shrugged. “No, I suppose I don’t.” 

He rose with his usual swift elegance, and though her heart hammered, Padmé couldn’t help letting her eyes roam over his back as he walked out the door. His gracefulness belied the body that was hidden under his unflattering robes, and not for the first time she wished that more of the Jedi wore something a little less drab, Anakin included. A few images of the two of them started to flash in her mind, and she suddenly wondered if the galaxy was ready for-

“Are you checking him out?” Anakin’s voice sounded distant, causing regret to tinge the edges of her mind - regret that she might’ve made him feel like he would have to fight for her affection.

She schooled her features to innocence and tried to keep her tone light. “Am I what?”

“Were you just checking Obi-Wan out?” he repeated, though this time she heard a sense of wonder in his voice, nearly concealed by amusement, which allowed her to breath a sigh of relief.

Still, she stuck to obliviousness. “No, of course not. I was just wondering what he thought of my excuse to keep you here.”

He jumped up from the couch and caught her round the waist, sending both of them in a twirl. “Doesn’t matter,” he said before bending down to kiss her. She hooked her arms around his neck, pulling herself up and into him, until it felt like they were melting together.

~~~

“So you think he’s cute?” asked Anakin. He could see the way his breath was ruffling through her hair. Not everyone was asleep on Alderaan, even this late at night, though Anakin was pretty sure that no one would come looking for him or Padmé until the morning.

“W-what?” Padmé stammered breathlessly, causing Anakin’s eyebrows to pinch together. She might’ve been able to forget the moment that passed after Obi-Wan had left, but he had not.

Padmé hesitated for far too long, and Anakin began to feel some bewilderment coming from her.

“You do, don’t you!” Anakin said, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice.

“I don’t know if  _ cute _ ’s the right word though.” Padmé hummed in amusement. “Maybe more like  _ dashing _ .”

The day of his trials came back to him, and Anakin could see Obi-Wan waiting for him on that alpine planet again, hair soft in the breeze, a calm, confident posture, blue eyes sparkling.“Mmm, handsome,” he murmured.

They were both quiet for a moment before Padmé suddenly asked, “Why?” in a hushed voice.

Something in Anakin’s chest tightened. “You know how I feel about him. About both of you,” he quickly amended. “But you and I have each other, and sometimes he just seems so… alone.”

“Anakin. He’s a-” she broke off right before, but Anakin knew she was going to say  _ a Jedi _ . Her words should’ve stung, but instead he felt a strange numbness come over him. Was he a Jedi anymore?

“I just mean that he doesn’t feel things the same way we do,” she explained. “He doesn’t let himself feel like that.”

“It’s ok, I know,” Anakin said wearily. He kissed absently kissed the top of her head. “I guess it’s just - I love both of you so much, but I’ve never thought either of you would care about each other. I wish we could find a way to make him feel less lonely.” He sighed. “But you’re right, he’d probably just turn us down.”

“Nobody would turn us down,” Padmé said with a small snort. “Or do you think he has a type?”

Anakin resisted the urge to make a comment about ‘bald’ and ‘Dathomirian.’ Likely Padmé wouldn’t have found that as funny as he. But it was hard to think of anyone else specific when Obi-Wan flirted with everybody. “Honestly, who  _ isn’t _ his type.”

Anakin could feel Padmé quaking against him in silent laughter. 

“Ok, but do you think he’s ever even  _ had _ sex?” she said between giggles.

He couldn’t help laughing now too. “You know, I wasn’t sure about that until I met Satine and-” Anakin broke off, realizing what he’d said. Padmé had gone very still in his arms. “I’m sorry, Padmé. I didn’t mean- I know you were close.”

“It’s ok, Anakin,” she said gently. “This war has taken a lot from us.”

Every muscle in his body tensed, as if they were all trying to deny what she’d said. He was hardly even aware he was moving until the chilly mountain air hit him as he opened the door to the balcony. With a shiver, he forced himself to relax and drew his robes tighter around himself. A faint moonlight silhouetted her as he turned to look back - a lone figure sitting on the bed with sheets draped around her legs.

“Anakin,” she whispered, whether pleading or apologizing he wasn’t sure.

“You’re right,” he said. “The war’s been taking everything. Both sides under the control of one man.” He shivered again, hoping she would just think it was the cold.

“We can still fix this,” she said. He envied the hope in her voice.

“How?” he asked. “How would  _ you  _ fix this?”

“I…” Padmé hesitated, as if somewhat thrown by the directness of his question. “I guess I’d find some evidence of Palpatine being a Sith, then show the whole galaxy. No one would support him then.”

Anakin nodded. Get the backing of the people - it was undoubtedly a politician’s move, but a smart one at least. “What then?”

The faint light on her lips flickered as they were pulled into a frown. “I don’t understand.”

“To the Senate,” Anakin said, feeling slightly impatient - not at Padmé, but it was a feeling as though he needed to be doing something right at that moment, not standing around talking about doing something. “What happens next? We can’t go back to the corruption of before.”

“We’d elect a new leader,” Padmé answered.

“And what if the wrong one gets elected?”

Padmé’s hair rustled softly as she shook her head. “Who gets to decide whether it’s the wrong one? The Jedi Council? You or me or Obi-Wan? The Republic has been under a disguised dictator for too long.” 

The balcony door closed with a quiet snap that covered up Anakin’s heavy sigh. Padmé shifted as he sat on the bed again, leaning his head against the wall and feeling the headboard digging into his back. He eyed Padmé who rested on her elbow below him. “Is democracy the answer for everything?” he said with a smile.

Despite his lack of seriousness, she pursed her lips. “Of course.”

But he’d thought about it already, and he wasn’t sure if she was right. “Will it help the clones?”

“Help them with what?” she asked, confused.

“Freedom, Padmé! They’ve been forced to fight for the Republic with no pay, and the only way of leaving the army for them is death. They’re chipped for Force sake! Do you know who else gets chips implanted?” The words came tumbling out of his mouth so fast he could barely stop them.

“I do,” she said earnestly. “I’m sorry, Anakin, I just haven’t thought that far ahead yet.” She sighed, rubbing her hand up and down his arm. “It’s late. We should talk about this later.”

“Yeah.” He put his hand over hers and gave it a quick squeeze. “I should probably get back to my own room.”

It wasn’t the answer she wanted, and a muscle bunched in her jaw. She slipped her hand out from underneath his. Easing himself away from the wall, he reached out and cupped her cheek, tilting her head up so he could kiss her. When he pulled away she was smiling slightly again, and he carefully filed that image in his memory. His feet found the floor, and he allowed his hand to linger on her soft skin only long enough for him to stand up.

Picking up the rest of his clothes and his lightsaber, he turned his back on her. A gust of cold air hit him as he exited via the balcony door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've just had a Crazy Epiphany about where this story should go in the next few chapters. I s2g i'm gonna turn you all on your noses. in a good way. mostly
> 
> Be prepared ;) (Unless of course I, flaky and indecisive, finish the next chapter (one of my favs) and nope out of it instead.)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Padmé gets a dangerous mission. The weight of the Republic crushes us all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note: edited bc I forgot to Padmé before posting and i'm a stickler for those little details

There was no way for Wolffe to know that Master Plo wasn’t aboard the starfighter currently landing in front of him, but the tight feeling in his gut made that thought feel like more than just a doubt. And when Ahsoka jumped out of the pilot’s seat, Plo’s lightsaber on her belt, everything was suddenly confirmed, with the tightness replaced by a cold emptiness. 

He bowed his head to pay his silent respects and wondered how he was going to tell the rest of the men. No matter their training and the Jedi’s code, Master Plo had shown more than kindness to them, and they’d privately nicknamed him  _ The Ver’gebuir _ \- hired father in Mando’a.

“How?” he asked, his hands gripping his helmet painfully tight.

“Grievous,” she said.

Wolffe closed his eyes and nodded. He didn’t trust his voice ask any more about Master Plo, but situations were now swinging into motion that he’d hoped to avoid. “And Grievous?”

“He fled,” answered Ahsoka, strangely emotionless.

“What now?” he asked. He’d gotten a comm from some Coruscanti Republic officer shortly after the order had come through, informing him that he and his men would be recalled from Cato Neimoidia and that a ship was coming for them in a couple days. Plo’s last orders seemed so distant with the Republic looming over him.

“We trap him and kill him,” Ahsoka said with a calm confidence.

Wolffe bit back a retort, though he knew that her plan wouldn’t be considered the ‘Jedi way.’ “But no one’s been able to find him,” he countered instead.

“I have,” said Ahsoka. “He’s on Utapau.”

“Utapau?” Wolffe repeated with a frown. It was an Outer Rim planet with, as far as he could see, little tactical advantage. Not to mention the Republic had been there a couple times and found nothing. “Where did you get this information?” he asked.

Ahsoka glanced back at her companion then made a face as if she was berating herself for doing so. “It’s reliable,” she insisted.

But Wolffe knew when something fishy was going on. “C’mon, Ahsoka. Who’s your passenger, and how’d they know Grievous’s hideout?”

“It’s Barriss,” Ahsoka said with a sigh.

“Barriss Offee?” Wolffe hissed. A memory of himself stunning Ahsoka and watching her crumple to the ground came up behind his eyes, but he blinked it away with a growl. “She’s a traitor to the Republic!”

“I can help her!” Ahsoka whispered back, though some part of her sounded desperate.

“We can’t trust her,” Wolffe said. He had trust in his instincts, though right now he wished Master Plo was there to guide him. It felt foolish; he knew what Plo would’ve said. But with Barriss now too, the path he knew Plo would’ve wanted him to take seemed more impossible. “I can’t come with you.”

His declaration was met with a moment of silence. “Master Plo gave you an order to follow me if he didn’t come back,” Ahsoka said warily.

The scar over Wolffe’s eye tightened uncomfortably as he gritted his teeth. “He must’ve forgotten that even when you were a part of the Republic’s army, you were a Commander, like me.” Her shoulders rose defensively, and he quickly changed his reasoning tactics. “How was the blockade?”

“It wasn’t there,” she said, a crease forming between her brows as if that fact had barely crossed her mind.

Wolffe shrugged. “I don’t know if some deal has been struck with the Separatists, but a Republic ship is coming in a few days, and we’ll soon return to Coruscant. I’ve talked to them already.”

Ahsoka nodded, as if she somehow knew something he didn’t, then she eyed him uncertainly. “Are you with them, then? Against the Jedi?”

“No, I promise I’m not. I’ll do what I can for you, but right now I have other duties, other plans,” he said, though currently his ‘other plans’ boiled down to ‘free whatever clones came to them on the Republic ship.’ 

He expected Ahsoka to fight him on this, as she was known to do, but after a deep breath she simply nodded. It was a testament only to how tired she must’ve been.

Wolffe glanced up at Master Plo’s starfighter, planning his next move. “I’ll need to keep the ship, too,” he said.

“What?” Ahsoka’s eyes widened with fear, and for a moment Wolffe remembered how young she was. How young they all were.

“I’ll give you a different one,” he assured her. “A transport. Larger. Less conspicuous. But when those Republic ships turn up in a few days they’ll need to believe that Master Plo didn’t leave and that we carried out our orders.” He waited for her agreement, and after a few seconds she gave a short nod. “Then you should go now.”

As he said that, Barriss stepped down from the ship and came to hover behind Ahsoka, her arms crossed over her chest and her hood pulled down low. It was clear that she had been listening to their conversation, and Wolffe couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable about what she’d heard him say.

He turned his back on the two of them and began to descend the rocky staircase that would lead them to their next ship. At the bottom, he waited until the coast was clear before heading further into the building. All his men were now unchipped, but he knew there’d be too many difficult questions if any of them saw what he was doing.

Ahsoka didn’t speak to him anymore, though he felt that was deserved, and neither did Barriss, not that he expected her to.

“K'oyacyi,” he said quietly as they boarded the ship.

Ahsoka turned back to him, raising her hand to her heart. “And you, Wolffe.”

As the doors closed with a gentle  _ puff _ , Wolffe stepped back, letting them leave on their own to hunt down Grievous. He told himself he needed to do this, for his men, for the Republic.

But even seconds after the ship had departed, Wolffe was feeling regret.

~~~

Though Padmé received the darkened message some time in the night, she didn’t see it until the rays Alderaanian sunlight were just breaching the mountains. Her comm device blinked on one of the tables in the room, too far out of reach, so instead of getting up to get it Padmé sighed and pulled the covers up around her. She felt cold, and as she eyed the empty space on the other side, she knew it wasn’t from the cool, alpine air.

But the incessantly blinking light wouldn’t let her rest. She wished one of her handmaidens were here, but she’d sent Rabé on to Naboo where all the others were having time off.  _ You’re supposed to be a competent politician _ , the voice in her head chided,  _ getting up and checking your messages should not be this hard _ . She groaned, knowing it was right, then threw the covers off quickly and leapt over to the wardrobe where a soft, downy robe was hanging. The comm received one of her patented scowls before she picked it up and hit the play button.

The words she heard sucked up any of the warmth she’d been holding onto. Her grip on the device tightened as the voice of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine echoed throughout the room. She couldn’t say that she hadn’t been expecting this, but a call for an emergency Senate meeting seemed so…  _ dangerous _ , both politically and physically. 

The choice now lay before her: to stay away would confirm her as a traitor, while to go back to Coruscant would put her in the presence of Sith Lord. She knew which choice Anakin would want her to take and that he’d be backed up by most of the other people close to her, but what would happen after that? Would the Naboo allow her to remain Senator? Would the Republic declare war on them, or would she be quietly assassinated?

The alternative wasn’t much better. To face Palpatine knowing what she knew would push her political maneuvering skills to the limit. But at least then she could spread the truth and rally more planets to her side. Right now, she started by pressing a small button on her wrist, and within a minute C-3PO entered the room.

“Oh, good morning!” he said as he tottered towards her. “Though I hardly think it’s a good morning when all this high elevation is throwing off the circuits controlling my center of balance. You, of course, don’t have this problem so I suppose it must be a good morning for you!”

“I can’t say it is, Threepio,” Padmé replied wearily. “I need you to contact Captain Typho and have him and Rabé return immediately.”

“Certainly, Mistress Padmé,” he said, then added in what he thought was a mutter, “That seems easy enough - not too much walking anyway.” He turned and left much the same way he’d entered.

She dressed quickly. The clothes she kept on her ship were more visibly functional than physically, but she decided that would work well for the open disguise she needed to return to Coruscant. The reflection of herself in the large mirror inside her wardrobe looked confident, but the japor snippet had fallen on the outside of her dress, and it sent a wash of worry over her. How would she tell Anakin she was leaving?

Somehow the answer came instantly to her: Obi-Wan. Abandoning her room, she searched the halls of the palace for someone who could tell her where to find him. It was early still, but Padmé didn’t think that would be a problem. She finally found a pair of maids scurrying about the halls who told her that Master Kenobi was actually in a meeting with some of the other Jedi in the northern wing. That wasn’t the news she was hoping for, but she figured that she’d better tell the Jedi Council of her departure anyway. 

The northern wing, however, was a far walk from where she was now. Even as a smaller, more secretive palace, the building was grand. It was filled with traditional Alderaanian paintings, sculpture, and stained glass, and in many ways, it reminded her of the Jedi Temple, though less dramatic and more earthly. 

Though Master Ti had said that there were more Jedi coming every day, Padmé only passed servants and droids in the halls, scurrying about to complete morning chores. There was something tense about the way she watched them as they walked by her, as if she felt convinced that anyone of them may leak news of her and the Jedi’s presence back to Palpatine. Though after one boy almost broke into a run upon seeing her face, she shook her head harshly, trying to dispel those paranoid thoughts.

Finally, she reached the room where the meeting was being held. It wasn’t custom to enter a Council session without invitation, but events unfolding weren’t what was accustomed. Padmé did at least knock on the small but intricate door. 

It opened, seemingly of its own accord, to reveal a handful of tired beings in formal robes seated around a small table. She recognized them all - Stass Allie, Shaak Ti, Kit Fisto, Luminara Unduli - though they stared at her with blank, quizzical eyes, all but Obi-Wan who gave her a smile nearly hidden by his beard. It wasn’t enough to take the chill off of the stark difference between this empty meeting and the usual fullness of the Council chambers.

Padmé looked aghast at the six Jedi sitting in borrowed chairs. “Is this all of the Council that survived?” She was nearly amazed at how quickly her question had caused them to turn their stares away from her.

“Master Yoda lives,” Obi-Wan answered, “but we don’t know of the others yet.”

“What is it you came to see us about Senator Amidala?” Shaak Ti asked. The Jedi weren’t known for their exuberance, most of them anyway, but now they appeared more subdued than ever. Padmé could only imagine what it would be like if most of her people on Naboo were summarily executed, and she felt a wave of sympathy.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt,” she said.

“No apology necessary,” Master Fisto said. “We were just discussing what to do with Dooku.”

“What are your thoughts on this?” Obi-Wan asked.

“I have none,” Padmé answered truthfully. “I suppose you should keep him locked up until he’s useful or until he can be safely brought in front of the Senate.”

“To be tried, you mean,” Obi-Wan clarified.

“Yes, once Palpatine’s been dealt with.”

“But perhaps he would testify against Palpatine,” Master Unduli said, “so the Republic can know everything he’s been doing over the last few years.”

Padmé frowned at the statement. The Jedi had earned the experience of working with politicians the last few years, but their idealism reflected their assumption that the galaxy would always believe they operated only on the side of the Light, with no bias. After the Clone Wars, that was no longer true. “The Republic wouldn’t care what he said -  they’d only see him as the man who lost a galactic war and is now looking for a way out.”

“I agree,” Obi-Wan said. Shaak Ti also nodded her head.

Padmé pushed on. “Anyway, I came here this morning because our very own Supreme Chancellor just sent out a recall message to all senators for an emergency session.”

Her news was met with silence and uneasy glances. She didn’t need the Force to be able to sense the tension in the room.

Finally Obi-Wan spoke. “Will you return to Coruscant?” he asked with a note of concern in his voice.

“Yes, I intend to leave in a few hours.”

There was a rustle as most of the Jedi shifted uncomfortably. “Senator Amidala, I hope you’re not forgetting that Palpatine is a Sith Lord,” Luminara insisted. “He could have dark powers beyond our imagination.”

“Not to mention we still don’t know what caused him to execute the order to kill the Jedi,” Allie added. “And if it was because he knew about the clones getting unchipped, then who told him?”

Fisto raised his hands placatingly. “We don’t know if anyone told him, or whether he figured it out himself.”

“Then I’ll help you find the truth,” Padmé said. “I’ll be your inside woman.”

“But what if he knows what you’ve been doing, and how you’ve helped the Jedi these last few days?” Obi-Wan pointed out. “Surely Palpatine will have people on Naboo who will tell him you never went there?”

Padmé shook her head. “I sent Rabé and Captain Typho back there on my ship. She fools even those who’ve known me a long time,” she said dismissively.

“You have this well planned,” Luminara said. “You didn’t come to us for permission, or even advice, though if you had we would’ve told you not to go.”

Padmé nodded, taking a deep breath. “I thought you deserved to hear what I was doing, but my decision has already been made.”

“We have no say in this,” Shaak Ti stated.

“No. For the sake of the Republic, the Jedi and the Senate must separate themselves. I won’t forget your concerns, but I believe this is something I must do and so I will.”

“Very well,” Luminara said with a frown. “If that’s everything you wanted to tell us?” She waited until Padmé gave a short nod then looked around the room for confirmation from the others. “I think we’re all done here.”

The other Jedi began rising from their seats, muttering a few words to each other, and Padmé knew this was her chance. “Master Kenobi, will you walk with me?” she asked quietly.

His cool gaze flicked up to her curiously, but without asking why, he nodded and gestured for her to lead the way. Padmé didn’t glance back to see how any of the other Jedi had reacted, but she could feel at least a few eyes on the two of them as they walked side-by-side out of the conference room.

In silence, Padmé lead Obi-Wan out of the palace and onto the large, stone veranda. The mountain air was cool and crisp, and Padmé breathed in deeply, knowing that her return to Coruscant would not offer her this luxury.

Marble stairs surrounded the veranda, and once they reached the top of them, Obi-Wan offered his arm to help her down, which she gratefully accepted. Part of these stairs lead to a small garden, but she angled away from it, instead leading Obi-Wan to a trail that disappeared into the trees. She did not let go of his arm.

The crunch of needles under their feet was soft, and as Padmé was wondering how she could even begin to tell Obi-Wan what was worrying her, he spoke first, taking the words right out of her mouth. 

“I think Anakin will not be pleased to learn of your return to Coruscant.”

“It is not his decision to make,” she replied curtly.

Obi-Wan made a noise that almost sounded like a laugh. “You’re ever the diplomat.” He sighed. “Very well, what is it you wanted to speak to me of?”

Padmé looked away through the trees that were rising up around them. She had not entirely thought through what she was going to say, and though her concern for Anakin was strong, it was outweighed by their need for secrecy. 

She tried to speak lightly, to throw Obi-Wan’s words back at him, but her voice only came out stiff. “Anakin won’t be pleased to learn of my return to Coruscant.”

He looked down at her, but she forced her eyes to stay on the path ahead of them. “No, he will not. It’s dangerous, to say the least, and I can’t see that you’ll accomplish a lot.”

“Not a lot is always better than nothing. I won’t abandon democracy while there is still hope for its survival! There are thousands of senators who need to know the truth and who will help us when they do.”

“Palpatine will not let you do this under his watch.”

“We have-” Padmé tried to suppress the shudder that rose through her spine, “been friends for many years. To his face I will offer support…” she trailed off.

“And behind his back you will scheme,” Obi-Wan finished for her. Her fretful feelings must’ve showed on her face as he quickly added, “That’s not an accusation.”

“I know,” she said, then sighed wearily. “You’re right, this is dangerous.”

“Will you talk to Anakin before you leave?” he asked.

There was something in his voice that sounded all too knowing, too consoling, and it put her on edge. “No, why would I?” she snapped before she could think her answer through. For all that her politics had taught her about keeping her emotions in check, there was something about Anakin that freed them from her control, for better or for worse.

Obi-Wan sighed. They had come to the end of the little trail where a small wooden lookout had been built over the edge of a cliff. Spread in front of them was a huge open valley, surrounded by snow-capped peaks that took Padmé’s breath away. She removed her hand from under Obi-Wan’s arm and walked out to look over the railing, staring out at the mountains and almost forgetting their conversation.

But his voice by her side brought her out of her reverie. “I have not been as unaware of your relationship as he thinks,” he said quietly. Her head snapped up with a sharp breath, and when he met her bewildered gaze she half expected him to have the stern look of teacher facing a disappointing student. He only smiled. “But you make him happy in ways I don’t think I could ever match.” His smile turned sad, then vanished. “I suppose I was hoping that he’d eventually tell me, but I realize he would’ve expected me to inform the Council. Not that it matters anymore, but I would’ve never done that to him.”

She might’ve rolled her eyes, but she genuinely wouldn’t have wanted to hurt him that way. “Obi-Wan, you’re  _ on _ the Council,” she said instead.

“We do not think with one mind,” he countered with some sharpness, but then his voice grew distant as he turned his gaze away from her and over the cliff. “Especially when it comes to Anakin.”

His emotion surprised her, though she knew it shouldn’t have, especially with her knowledge of Anakin’s feelings. “You love him too,” she stated.

Obi-Wan said nothing, but with the expression his face, he didn’t have to. It was faintly reminiscent, though Padmé knew how unusual that was for a Jedi, and undeniably melancholy.

She put her hand on his arm. “Forgive me for not knowing, but surely there’s no part of the Jedi Code that tells you you have to be sad?”

“What are you trying to say?” he asked.

“We  _ both _ love him,” she admitted, “and we must both do what we can to help him.” She squeezed his arm, and he looked down at her. “I think you’re wrong, about not being able to make him happy.”

A flicker of longing appeared in his eyes, but then his face grew hard. “I must act toward him as a Jedi would, for his sake and mine.”

“But that’s never been the extent of who you are to him,” she reasoned. “He’s told me of the time he kissed you.” Padmé watched Obi-Wan carefully to gauge his reaction and was not disappointed by the flush creeping up his cheeks. “The unflappable Obi-Wan,” she mused. “I never thought I’d be able to get you to blush like that.”

“He’s so impulsive,” Obi-Wan practically whispered, and at that Padmé laughed out loud. She had wondered at first if she should feel jealous, but for some reason she never had. There had never been any reason for her to believe that Anakin’s love for Obi-Wan would diminished his love for her. 

“Please be mindful of his feelings towards you,” Obi-Wan said suddenly.

Padmé couldn’t help tensing up again. “What?”

“He mustn’t stray from his path, especially not at such a critical moment in time. The Jedi need him, or we may all die.” Obi-Wan’s voice was urgent.

“You would use him as a tool!” Padmé couldn’t say why she felt so defensive, perhaps it was just that talk of the Jedi’s prophecy made her feel that way.

“No, but there are choices he may soon have to make that could affect the entire galaxy.”

“And you think I would mess it all up,” Padmé said harshly. “You think that without me you’d be able to just tell him what to do.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “I am only there to guide him - that’s all I’ve ever tried to do. There are many things he’d think to fight for one day then turn against the next, but I am starting to believe there is one firm constant in his mind.”

“What?”

“Who, Padmé. You.”

His statement seemed obvious, but Padmé couldn’t help frowning at the idea she felt Obi-Wan seemed to be implying - that Anakin would selfishly choose her over the galaxy. “But the Republic-”

“Is too abstract,” Obi-Wan cut in. “His loyalty is only an extension of what you and I feel.”

Padmé’s frown grew deeper as she tried to find a way around Obi-Wan’s words. “Then his determination to free the clones?”

“Is not an act of loyalty towards the Republic, it’s one of defiance. He never stopped wanting to fly back to Tatooine and free the slaves, and this is something equivalent.”

“And you know him so much better than I do,” Padmé said through gritted teeth.

Obi-Wan broke his gaze from hers and looked out at the view. A light breeze came along and almost drowned out his next words. “I don’t doubt there are things he’s told you that he’s never told me.”

Padmé watched him for a moment, wanting to prove the truth of his statement, but the forlorn look on his face broke her, and she sighed. “I’m sorry, Obi-Wan, I didn’t mean get angry at you.”

Obi-Wan turned back to her and gave a quick smile. “No need to apologize; we’re all under a lot of stress right now. I’m only trying to help set things right.” He shifted from the railing, a signal that their conversation was drawing to a close.

“I know,” she said as she followed him away from the edge. Before reaching the trail again, she held out her hand, and with another smile Obi-Wan opened his arm for her to hold onto. 

~~~

With their first plan foiled, they currently drifted through open space. Barriss found this oddly symbolic. On the other hand, Ahsoka, in all of her optimism had declared it ‘a good time to get some rest before we figure out what to do next.’ Barriss wanted to smile at that, but she still couldn’t allow herself to.

She did at least try to take Ahsoka’s advice, however, though she didn’t dare shut her eyes for fear of what her mind would trap her in. Instead she sat tucked in the corner of her cot, with her arms around her legs and her chin resting on her knees. They were stalled, and it was her fault; she knew it.

The plan to kill Grievous had felt redeeming somehow, though she didn’t know to whom or from what. She didn’t know what her goal was any longer. Telling herself that her actions were for the benefit of the Republic had suddenly sounded so hollow after overhearing what Commander Wolffe had said. 

“ _ She’s a traitor to the Republic! _ ”

His words echoed in her head -  _ A traitor! A traitor!  _ \- making her feel unbearably sick. That was never what she wanted to be. She wanted to help the Republic, and at the time she’d thought that had meant stopping the Jedi and stopping the war.

The pain of her memories held her captive, and she couldn’t even decide whether to let them go or allow them to consume her. So Barriss rocked herself back and forth, unable to remember if she’d learned the motion from being raised in the Temple’s creché, or if she just saw it in some holo drama. 

“I am not who I was, I am not who I was, I am not who I was,” she whispered over and over, completely unable to tell whether she was talking about the Barriss who had been a Jedi, the one who had bombed the Temple, or the one who had knelt before a Sith lord.

She didn’t hear Ahsoka come into the room, but all of a sudden there were warm arms around her and a cool voice shushing her.

“It’s ok, Barriss, it’s ok,” Ahsoka murmured as she climbed into the narrow bed with her. There was no energy left in Barriss’s body to fight back, but her resolve was so broken that she wouldn’t have, not after everything Ahsoka had done. She let Ahsoka wrap her arms around her, intertwine their legs together, and pull her body as close as she could. Her head was tucked between a headtail and a collarbone, Barriss could feel the hum of Ahsoka’s voice. “A Jedi doesn’t dwell on the past, they choose who they are in the moment, and always looks to the future.”

The weight of everything she’d done seemed to push the last of the air out of Barriss’s lungs. Tears broke free from her eyes. “I’m not a Jedi,” she sobbed.

She could feel Ahsoka’s lips brush her hair as she answered, “Neither am I.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> K'oyacyi! [Koy-AH-shee!] 1. *Cheers!* 2. Can also mean: *Hang in there* or 3. *Come back safely.* Literally, a command; *Stay alive!* Mando'a Dictionary
> 
> Only a week later than usual right? ;) Also, this chapter was getting too big so I moved a chunk of it to the next one. Be prepared for some patented Anakin Emotions^tm! Also, writing Padmé and Obi-Wan together was a lot more fun that I'd expected. Anyway, now I'll finally get around to answering your comments :D


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth will out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I had multiple scenes in one chapter? Haha yeah good times ;)

Once her ship had returned to her, Padmé left a silent audience. Obi-Wan was one of the few who watched her leave, standing next to Queen Organa and a handful of the Jedi, but Anakin was nowhere to be found.

Having his doubts about Anakin’s current emotional state, Obi-Wan searched for him through the Force. He caught onto the roiling knot of emotions somewhere outside of the palace and on the opposite side from where Padmé had just left. Obi-Wan made his way straight to him.

Anakin sat at the end of an empty docking bay - though it was more of a shelf sticking out from the side of a mountain - his feet dangling over the edge and his face towards the sunset. As he walk up to him, Obi-Wan could sense the confusion he felt through the Force that constantly shifted from despair to anger to determination then back. 

Anakin’s stillness spoke in negative volumes about what he was feeling. Obi-Wan had come to expect that when Anakin was troubled, he could always be found tinkering with some mechanical part or ship design, but now he looked as though he was too tense to even breath.

Obi-Wan stopped just behind him. The setting sun sifted through Anakin’s hair, painting his locks with a rare liquid gold. Half wondering if he could catch the light in his hands, Obi-Wan reached out and let his fingers ruffle through Anakin’s loose curls. It was almost too soft of a gesture for such rough and dangerous times, but after relaxing a little, Anakin tilted his head into the pressure and looked up at Obi-Wan.

“Sit,” he said, then blushed at the commanding tone of his voice. “Please.”

Either way, Obi-Wan did as he was told. He could feel the last of the sun’s warmth on his face as he clasped his hands in front of him and closed his eyes. He could also feel Anakin watching him. After a while, an arm slid around Obi-Wan’s waist, and a heavy head drooped onto his shoulder.

“Do you remember sitting like this in our room at the Temple,” Anakin murmured.

He did. They were old memories, ones from when Anakin had been his Padawan barely a year, but the recent events that had forced the pair to flee that home and that life had turned them bittersweet.

Obi-Wan hesitated, pushing the sudden swell of emotions aside. “I remember trying to get you to meditate, but you just kept falling asleep on me.”

Warm breath fluttered through his robes as Anakin gave a huff, but no snarky response came. Instead, his voice took on an edge of contempt. “Good. For a moment there I thought you would give me some vague Jedi-like saying about ‘the past’ or whatever.”

Now it was Obi-Wan’s turn to feel tense. “And what would be so bad about that?”

Anakin pulled away from Obi-Wan to look him in the eye. “The Jedi are done. Most of the Order is gone: murdered, betrayed, defeated!” The sudden anger in his voice made Obi-Wan want to both pull him back into his arms and push him over the edge of the dock. But instead he said nothing and let Anakin continue his tirade. “The Council was so blind and weak that they couldn’t see they were being manipulated by a Sith Lord who existed  _ under their noses _ . And now… We’ve been fighting this pointless war for years, neglecting our duty as Jedi to  _ protect _ the galaxy.” Anakin trembled with fury, but the tears that began to well laid bare the compassion behind it. “The Republic created millions of clones and sent them to die for no reason, and sent the Jedi out to die too, and... and all this time… We should’ve been saving people!”

“I know,” said Obi-Wan. It was a hard truth for him too. “But what’s done is done. We cannot go back in time to change our failures, we can only learn from them for the future.”

“That isn’t good enough!” Anakin snapped. “We were supposed to have the Force… I should’ve known!”

“Be at ease, dear one,” Obi-Wan said, reaching up to brush away the drops that were spilling from Anakin’s eyes. He couldn’t say where this sudden desire for physical touch had come from, though his sense of loss had manifested in this way before.

But Anakin pushed the arm away. “No! You can’t just- You can’t push this all aside like you don’t feel anything about it. We’re not Jedi anymore!”

Obi-Wan shook his head calmly. “We will always be Jedi, Order or no.”

Anakin jumped up in agitation. “I shouldn’t be,” he cried. “It’s my fault they’re all dead!”

He began to walk away trying not to be obvious about scrubbing the tears from his face, and though Obi-Wan had flinched at his declaration, he quickly regathered himself and got up to follow.

“What are you talking about?” he asked gently.

To his credit, Anakin had composed himself enough to mutter ‘not here,’ which only made Obi-Wan more concerned. That it was something more than just an impulse emotional reaction was troubling, to say the least. But Obi-Wan took a deep breath, willing himself not to push Anakin any further. Instead he followed him up to the room that Anakin had been provided, all the while staying open to the Force, feeling Anakin’s emotions and releasing his own.

Once in the room, the door clicked quietly behind them. And still Obi-Wan waited, though with growing impatience. He shook his head when Anakin wordlessly offered him a seat, but when Anakin then shrugged and moved to stand by the window, he remained in front of the door.

After awhile Obi-Wan began to wonder if Anakin was hoping he’d drop the subject and leave. Unfortunately for him, Obi-Wan cared about him too much. “Tell me,” he said, again in gentle tone.

“Nothing, it was nothing.” Anakin took a deep breath then turned around, though his eyes darted down to the ground. “I’m sorry, Obi-Wan, I didn’t mean it.”

Patiently, Obi-Wan took a deep breath. “I’m on your side, Anakin. I always have been.”

Anakin finally brought his eyes up to meet Obi-Wan’s. They were wide and desert sky blue and measuring, as if he wanted to tell but had some darkening preconceived notion about how Obi-Wan would react. For all the trust he knew they had in each other, Obi-Wan couldn’t help the worry creeping into his stomach as he waited to find out what kind of answer he’d get.

But Anakin finally relented. “It was me. I told Palpatine that the Jedi had learned about the clones’ programming.” His voice cracked. “It’s my fault all this happened.”

The weight of his words hit Obi-Wan like a ton of durasteel. “Anakin, it’s not your fault,” he said, taking a few steps forward and reaching out, only to see Anakin turn away. “Please believe me,” he pleaded, and unable to stop himself he put a hand on Anakin’s shoulder, only to see his head drop and a tear roll down his face. Obi-Wan gave his shoulder a squeeze, hardly beginning to understand all that Anakin was going through. “Palpatine has likely been manipulating you from the moment he met you. None of us knew who or what he was.” He watched as Anakin wiped his tears away and frowned. “Besides, what you did only hastened the inevitable.”

Anakin turned to face him again, causing Obi-Wan’s hand to slip away. “But it was something I could’ve prevented. I could’ve stopped it somehow, I just… 

“There are limits to what we can do as Jedi. Even you,” he added lightly, trying to get a smile. But Anakin only looked at him with sad eyes. “You’re not the only one who has been feeling this. I keep thinking back on all the times I’d spoken to him, all the times he’d met with the Council, and wondering ‘what did I miss?’ I can’t help imagining all the possible times I could’ve read all the signs right, outsmarted him, told the Council, stopped him-” he swallowed back his rush of words. “But I think the truth is that nobody knew, and perhaps if they did, it was already too late.” He looked intently up at Anakin, silently begging him to see reason, and was relieved to notice that he was finally showing some semblance of ease. 

Anakin spoke in a low whisper. “I’ve just been feeling so out of control lately, and today-” he cut himself off sharply.

Obi-Wan nodded, finally feeling like they’d circled around to what he’d expected Anakin to talk about. “Then this is also about Padmé leaving.”

Anakin jolted. “What? No, it’s-”

“Stop.” Obi-Wan waved away his denial, again hit with the pain of feeling mistrusted by someone so close. “I know about the two of you.” He sighed. “I’ve had some suspicions for a while, and when I confronted her she didn’t deny it.”

“When?”

“This morning.”

Anakin took a deep breath, as if he was calculating all his escape routes. “Are you going to tell the Council we’re married?” he asked quietly.

_ Married? _ That took the breath out of Obi-Wan’s lungs. He couldn’t help the look of surprise that crossed his face, and the only word his mouth could form was ‘Anakin?’

“Are you going to tell them?” Anakin’s voice turned hard.

“No.”

Anakin blinked, as if he hadn’t expected that answer. “Are you going to ask me to leave her?” he then asked, confusion evident in his tone.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “Would you listen if I did?”

“No.” Anakin didn’t even pretend to take the time to think before answering, though Obi-Wan wasn’t surprised.

“Then I won’t waste my breath,” said Obi-Wan. “But I feel it’s my duty as a Jedi Master to remind you of the dangers of-”

“Attachment, yeah I know,” Anakin cut in. He shook his head. “I know who you want me to be, but I can’t. I’ll never be the perfect Jedi that everyone expects. You ask me to disregard what I feel but... I just feel so much. It’s so strong,” he said, the emotion in his voice nearly overwhelming. “Like I’m trapped in quicksand.”

“I don’t want you to disregard what you feel,” Obi-Wan pleaded. “I only ask that you be mindful of your emotions and don’t let them cloud your judgement.” He scratched at his beard in vexation, then he sighed. “As for the other part, well, I know what it’s like to have the Council’s eye on you, to have them expect so much and to feel like you can’t live up to what they want. I still feel that today, and I can’t help thinking that if they could truly see how much love I feel for you they would disapprove far worse than about anything you’ve ever done.” 

He hadn’t planned on that confession, not now, though it almost seemed no worse a time than any other, and it felt almost a chore to turn his gaze back up to Anakin’s, unsure if he’d see resentment or distrust or something worse.

But instead Anakin was looking at Obi-Wan as if he was seeing him for the first time again. “You love me?”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan said with a nervous chuckle. “Too much, I sometimes think, considering how often I turn a blind eye to-”

It took only one step for Anakin to catch him around the waist with one hand and use the other to tilt his head up so that their lips could meet. The Force around Anakin filled with anticipation.

Obi-Wan froze in surprise. His head began telling him all about what a bad idea this was and reminding him of the  _ no more _ he had promised himself, but his heart yielded without question. He’d reconcile the two later. For now he let his mouth be pushed open, feeling Anakin’s tongue brush against his. He felt Anakin’s hand tighten around his waist, felt the space between their bodies disappear, and found himself curling his fists tightly into Anakin’s robes. The excited buzz of the Force swam around him, and he let himself step out into it. After a moment, Anakin found his way in too, rendering them inseparable every way imaginable.

He hadn’t dreamed about this happening again, or so he told himself, but it was far more than he could’ve expected. Even after today’s revelations, there was no denying that they worked together better than ever before, understood each other deeper, trusted each other more. They weren’t the same, they never would be, but their mouths worked in perfect harmony; steadfast and headstrong.

He couldn’t tell who remembered to breath first, but as they pulled away slightly Obi-Wan began to come to his senses, or at least, he tried to recall what they had been talking about before.

But remembering made him frown. “I’m confused,” he said, near breathlessly. “You tell me about your marriage, and then you kiss me.”

Anakin at least had the grace to look abashed. “I… just didn’t want you to feel left out.”

“Left. Out?” Obi-Wan’s eyebrows furrowed. 

“Yeah,” Anakin confirmed, but with a lack of conviction. “Anyways, she knows how I feel about you.”

It was hard for Obi-Wan to concentrate when Anakin was this close, but his statement made little enough sense that this time Obi-Wan’s eyebrows flew upward.

“What? Don’t you trust me?” Had Anakin not been standing inches away he would’ve assumed he was smirking, but Obi-Wan could see the sudden reservation in his eyes..

“Of course I do,” Obi-Wan assured, then added his own smile. “But I know how well you twist words.”

“Twist words?! You wound me!” Anakin exclaimed in a mockingly dramatic voice, though now Obi-Wan could see that his smile was genuine.

“Anakin. Three missions ago I asked if you’d fixed our ship and you said you had.”

“Hey, I’d gotten the engine running like you asked, and we made it almost halfway back before…” Anakin’s voice cut off, but his mouth kept working. True, the engine worked fine all the way back, but the oxygen filter had broken in the middle of hyperspace. How they made it back to their Jedi Cruiser alive, Obi-Wan still wasn’t sure. 

Anakin finally found his voice again. “Alright, fine, I get your point,” he conceded, though his hand didn’t stray from Obi-Wan’s waist.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, trying to remember every detail of this moment so when it was over he would never forget. “It’s a moot point anyway,” he said quietly. “We shouldn’t be behaving this way.”

“Why? And don’t give me that  _ attachment _ poodoo. We both loved each other before - what’s changed?”

“I will give you  _ that attachment poodoo _ . It only leads us to make irrational decisions like refusing to let each other make their own choices or putting each other’s lives before a mission.”  

Anakin watched him with a small frown on his face. “Would you not’ve done that for me already?” he asked.

Obi-Wan tried to return the intensity of his gaze, but instead he crumbled under it. “I can’t say no, can I?”

“Then what’s changed?” Anakin asked again.

“I’m concerned your expectations of me have changed.”

Anakin hadn’t turned any of his focus away from Obi-Wan. He even tilted his head a little, as if to get a better view. “How much do you love me?” he asked cautiously.

“Beyond measure,” Obi-Wan answered. “Beyond measure of time. Beyond measure of space. But I would not tear down the galaxy for you. I would not hold your life above all others.”

“I understand,” Anakin said, even as he stepped away. Obi-Wan could almost see the images of Padmé in his mind, of his mother too. “But that’s not how I love.”

“I know,” said Obi-Wan, “but we must be mindful to avoid the kind of love that brings us jealousy, or fear of loss. These are only paths to the dark side.”

“Is it so bad to not want someone to die?” Anakin whispered.

“Of course not. But if we make these decisions with selfish motivations, we often disregard the consequences of our actions.” Obi-Wan watched Anakin calmly. “If this were to ever work between us those would be my terms. That you can prove to me that you can love me and Padmé without abandoning the Jedi Code and without a dangerous level attachment.”

Anakin frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. He didn’t look angry, at least, he just looked… pensieve. Obi-Wan thought that was a good start.

“You don’t have to think about it or give me an answer,” he said, reaching up to let his hand run down Anakin’s arm. “Just show me when you’re ready.”

And with that their conversation was over. Obi-Wan turned to go, leaving Anakin to chew on his words. He could feel eyes boring into his back as he opened the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may find the plot again in time for next chapter (I know, I know, this was a pretty short one), but I just really wanted to give that scene some space.

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to my beta [liznight](http://liznight.tumblr.com/)! (side note: I wrote the prologue after most of the rest so she hasn't had a chance to look it over yet - any mistakes are mine.)  
> I have a good five chapters written and I hope to post once or twice a week depending on how fast I can keep writing. I honestly don't know how long this is going to be. Considering I have 26k as of right now, probably over 50k. Hopefully less than 100k. Also I feel I should forwarn you guys that I haven’t decided if/how far I’m going with Ahsoka/Barriss. I'll keep the tags updated.  
> Comments and kudos always appreciated! And come talk to me on tumblr: [quiescentcastiel](http://quiescentcastiel.tumblr.com/)


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